


The Attic

by Quinzeela



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Multi, Smut, Time Travel, don't read if you don't like Hermione paired with Remus and Sirius, seriously
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-13
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2018-12-14 23:22:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11793591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quinzeela/pseuds/Quinzeela
Summary: The War is over and Hermione is struggling to cope with the grief. Wandering around Grimmauld Place she finds a hidden room which leads her to some old friends.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Also uploaded to ff.net :)

The house was silent for the most part, only the odd creak and groan of the structure could be heard. Harry was asleep in his room, having been there for the past month since the Battle of Hogwarts - both Ginny and Molly by his side most of the time. Everyone had lost someone in the battle, too many hearts had been shattered and too many people had been lost.

Since the battle Hermione had been trying to distract herself for the most part, trying to get back to full health whilst taking it upon herself to look after Teddy. On this day in particular however Molly had taken him for the day, insisting that she needed to get out of the house for a while and that it would do Hermione some good to get some peace and quiet as well. Hermione disagree though, alone she felt well and truly lost.

Hermione wandered the halls of Grimmauld Place feeling truly misplaced. She wanted nothing more than to just return home to her parents but they didn't even know who she was anymore - she scolded herself at that thought though, knowing that she was just lucky that they were even alive still when so many weren't. Trailing her fingers along the dado rail she collected the dust on her fingertips, rubbing it between her fingers, well and truly lost in her thoughts.

The creek of a floorboard behind her made her jump, suddenly on high alert as she turned quickly and withdrew her wand only to find that no one was there. Then she saw it, at the end of the hall a spiralling staircase that she hadn't noticed before. Hermione kept her wand drawn, edging forward, her nerves shattered. She knew that she should walk away but the curiosity was getting the better of her and before she knew what she was doing she was tentatively taking each stair at a time, wondering briefly if she should let Ginny know where she was going. She didn't want to interrupt her and risk waking Harry up though, sleep was hard to come by nowadays.

Reaching a door at the top she twisted the handle, pushing it open with her bare foot, her heart racing. The door swung open with a creek and Hermione held her breath in anticipation. She raised her eyebrows in surprise as she looked at the room before her, a thick layer of dust covering everything in sight. She stepped forward, leaving a footprint in the dust, wand still raised from habit. Hermione looked around in awe at the intricate trunks of various sizes, the grand chests and an old writing desk that sat a mass of cobwebs in the corner. Curiosity was growing in her stronger and stronger, her fingers itching to uncover the treasures up here. It was as if she had somehow stumbled across the Black's attic but she knew that couldn't be true, she was nowhere near the top floor of the house and besides, she'd been in the attic before when looking for Horcruxes with Harry and Ron and this most definitely wasn't it.

Glancing behind her the door still remained open, giving her comfort in the fact that her escape route still remained open in case things did turn sour. She went over to a chest of drawers, opening it to find it full of luxurious velvet photo albums, all engraved with the Black name and the year the photographs were taken. Hermione picked one at random, hesitating before opening it. Each of the photographs danced before her, capturing fragments of time within them. Hermione didn't recognise any of people within the photographs but knew that this must've been at least some of the family that Sirius had grown up around. She returned the photo album to the drawer before moving to one of the trunks. Her guard had dropped slightly as she pulled the lid open, coughing slightly at the dust that she had disturbed. Her curiosity was increased as she looked at the many trinkets before her. Dropping to her knees she tucked her wand up her sleeve before reaching in and taking a glistening silver ball into her hands.

Hermione inspected each object with intense interest, her mind being the most at ease that it had been in months. The pile beside her grew as she pulled one out, inspected it, placed it beside her, and then started the cycle again. As she grew closer to the bottom of the trunk she noticed a small marble like stone in the corner. She didn't hesitate before reaching for it and palming it in her hand; it was as smooth as a pebble, as bright as a diamond and as big as a marble. It didn't seem to possess magical qualities at all unlike many of the other objects which had hummed with a magical energy. Hermione brought her wand to it, uttering a revealing charm but nothing happened. Frowning she tucked away her wand again, about to put the stone back into the chest when an electric current surged through her entire body. Hermione's body went rigid, her mouth opening in shock whilst her eyes stared ahead unfocusing.

* * *

Hermione awoke feeling groggy. She was slumped over on the dusty floor of the Second Attic. She wasn't quite sure how long she had been there or what exactly had happened; her memories completely jumbled.

Her body was stiff as she pushed herself up, groaning as her neck cricked. Objects still laid scattered around her and she was about to start piling them back into the trunk when she stopped, hand outreached, someone was whistling in the house. It sounded wrong and out of place. Hermione's blood ran cold, she hadn't heard anyone whistling in Grimmauld Place in months.

Drawing her wand she immediately flew into defensive mode. Her bare feet let her pad down the spiral staircase without a sound, her senses on fire, listening for the tiniest of sounds to indicate where the intruder was. Hermione had had enough of people destroying everything she loved, she had been pushed too far. Her body still ached but she walked ahead, her heart hammering in her chest. Following the sound she realised as she drew closer that the intruder was in Sirius' room. That was the final straw.

She rounded the corner into Sirius' open doorway, a spell halfway from her lips before she fell short, mouth opening aghast. Sirius stood there, looking just as surprised as she did. Then it hit her, it was a sick trick! It couldn't be him, Sirius died years ago when he fell through the Veil. At least the imposter was caught completely unaware, standing half naked, a towel wrapped around his waist with no wand in sight. Hermione had the upper hand and she was thankful for it after her falter that would have had her killed in the battle of Hogwarts. 

"Hermione? Why aren't you at school?" Sirius frowned.

"Who are you?" She yelled, anger fizzing in her, "Tell me the truth or I swear I'll kill you." She hissed, storming towards Sirius, missing the genuine look of confusion on his face.

"What's gotten into you? It's me, Padfoot," he held his hands up defensively. "I'm not armed."

"Who are you?" She repeated, furious, "you picked the wrong order member to impersonate asshole." She looked like a mad woman.

"Kitten-"

"Don't you dare call me that!"

"Hey, hey, calm down," She could see him thinking and she was ready for whatever he hit at her, "if I wasn't me, I wouldn't be able to become Padfoot," Her eyes softened at that, Sirius nodded at her, "step back and I'll show you." His voice was calm and even, his hands up to show he wasn't going to harm her. "Nothing funny, honest."

Hermione hesitated before taking a step back, her wand and eyes trained on the man before her. Sure as damnit Sirius transformed then and there, padding over to her and nudging her hand. Hermione touched his fur, her heart swelling, confusion eating at her as she pushed her fingers into his fur. This wasn't right.

Sirius transformed back into himself, grabbing his towel and securing it around his waist again. Hermione couldn't hold hold back her tears as she looked at the man living and breathing before her.

"Is that enough proof Kitten?" Sirius asked softly and Hermione didn't wait another moment before rushing forward and wrapping her arms around the man.

"Oh Sirius, Sirius," She sobbed, clinging to him like her life depended on it. He returned her embrace, hyper aware that something wasn't quite right. 

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" He asked softly making Hermione pull away slightly. She looked up at his face, studying it before shaking her head incredulously.

"Well I do think I might be going mad," She whispered, a month's worth of tears threatening to fall now that she had started.

"You're not the Hermione I know, are you?" Sirius finally asked as it clicked. He released his hold on her and took a step back, looking at her fully, "you're older…"

"I… I don't know what happened," She breathed. 

"Did you use a time turner?"

"No… what year is it?"

"1996." Hermione felt like she was going to pass out, stumbling back until she found the edge of Sirius' bed and sitting. _The year he dies._ She thought to herself, willing back more tears as she looked at him standing before her, alive and well. "What year did you come from?"

"1998." Sirius paused at that, his first thought being that Hermione might be able to tell him where Voldemort was hiding. He pushed that thought from his head though, they needed to figure out whatever _this_ even was first before he started drilling her with questions about Voldemort. 

"Right, I'm going to get dressed and then we're going to talk more okay?"

"Okay," Hermione uttered softly, clawing her hands through her hair.

"Do you want to go wait for me in the kitchen? I won't be long."

"I'd rather stay with you," she uttered, looking at him with eyes that broke his heart. Hermione felt so pathetic but she was so afraid that if she left the room he might disappear agao and she couldn't risk that, not yet.

"Okay, turn around." Hermione nodded and turned her back on him. She was getting lost in her thoughts as she listened to him moving around behind her, suddenly feeling guilty that it was she here and not Harry.

* * *

Sirius had made them both tea, even using Hermione's old mug which was now in pieces after Ron had lost his temper a week or so earlier in Hermione's time. They sat in Sirius' room, Hermione insisting on it, feeling comforted by the room that was so lived in again. Nestled on the sofa she cupped her mug in her hands trying to make small talk with Harry's Godfather - she felt uncomfortable knowing so much though, on edge that she might say the wrong thing.  

"Hermione, can I ask you something?" She merely nodded her head, sipping her tea. "I die, don't I?" She stilled, not wanting to confirm anything - she wasn't sure if this sort of time travel held the same consequences as the Time Turner. Hermione met his eyes and it turned out she didn't need to say anything at all, her watery eyes being enough confirmation. He inhaled sharply.

"Well," He breathed, "I suppose we all die at some point don't we," he gave a humourless laugh.

"Sirius-"

"It's okay, I won't ask details. We need to figure out what sent you back anyway, that's way more important right now."

"Okay," she uttered softly.

"So first things first, where were you last?" He seemed to shake himself out of it, setting his mind on the issue at hand instead. 

"I was here, Grimmauld Place. I was on the first floor, just… wandering I guess. Then this staircase appeared. I'd never seen it before."

"Hermione Granger, ever the curious one aren't you," Sirius chuckled.

"You're telling me if a staircase you'd never seen before appeared you wouldn't go explore?"

"Well of course I would," He laughed, "but this is technically my house." He winked at her and Hermione flushed, laughing lightly. "But anyway, so you found this staircase…"

"It was like an attic, it was filled with trunks and chests. There was a chest of drawers which had a lot of photo albums in it with the Black name on them." Sirius was lounging back on the sofa, tea in one hand whilst he twiddled with his moustache with the other.

"Did you look in them?"

"Just one but I didn't recognise anyone," Sirius smiled at her, gesturing for her to continue. "And then I found..." Hermione tried hard to remember what happened next but her memories were getting fuzzy. It was like they were on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't quite grasp them.

"Hermione?" Sirius asked, leaning forward, seeing her struggling.

"I- I can't remember. There was a trunk I think but I can't remember what was in it."

"Right okay, well the good news is that I think I know of the staircase you're talking about - it's a spiral one right?"

"Yes! Exactly," Hermione breathed, relieved that she wasn't going completely mad.

"The bad news is that it's a nightmare to find," Sirius uttered, pushing his hand through his hair, "Walburga didn't have a sense of humour per se, it was more that she liked to keep things hidden from prying eyes," He mused, "to be quite honest, I'm surprised that it even revealed itself to you, I only came across it the once whilst I lived here."

"That doesn't bode well then," Hermione sighed.

"I mean the worst-case scenario is that the house knew exactly who you were and it lured you up there for a reason."

"Great, is that possible?" Hermione sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"Anythings possible when that bitch is involved but don't worry Kitten," He winked, "We'll get you back. I'm going to have to look for it alone though… I have a feeling it won't reveal itself to you again."

"I came out of it when I first got here I think," she frowned, her mind hazy when she tried to remember exactly in the house it had been that she had descended to.

"Okay - don't try to think too hard you'll just give yourself a migraine," he chuckled, seeing the concentration on her face. He went to get up, placing his empty mug on the side but Hermione suddenly felt a rush of panic.

"Wait," She grabbed his wrist, pulling him back clumsily. "Sirius you can't leave me alone, please, I don't trust my memory right now. What if you don't come back?"

"Hermione I can't take you with me," he sighed softly, "it's unlikely I'll find the staircase if you come with me but I promise to shout you as soon as I find it." He crouched in front of her, tucking her hair behind her ear. This Hermione was a shadow of the feisty girl teenager he'd come to know, and it broke his heart.

"Sirius, please," she whispered, refusing to let go of his wrist. She'd been through too much for her age.

"I..." he faltered for a second, "Look I can send for Moony, he can stay with you whilst I look - we'll need his opinion on all of this anyway."

* * *

Remus didn't take long to arrive at all, immediately grumbling at Sirius for having been so vague in his letter. As soon as he'd caught scent of Hermione though, who was sat at the kitchen table with her second mug of tea in hand, he stilled, his back going up. He turned on her, the wolf inside of him knowing something was wrong and that this wasn't their Hermione. Sirius managed to calm the situation quickly, explaining what had happened, calming the wolf considerably.

"Well," Remus uttered in surprise, glancing at the exhausted witch in the corner, noticing how she now closer resembled he and Sirius' gaunt looks, "this is new. What do you need me to do?"

"I'm going to go find the staircase and Moony, you're to stay with Hermione until I find it. Then we're going to work out how to get the little witch back to her own year," his eyes actually twinkled as he spoke and Hermione silently began to wonder what exactly it was like for Sirius having to holed up in this house day after day, alone. 

Sirius disappeared into the depths of the house, leaving Hermione and Remus alone. She couldn't help but think of Teddy, silently wishing that Remus could've had more time with his son before he was ripped away from him. 

"You look tired," he uttered, taking the seat opposite her.

"It's been a rough year," she admitted, looking down at the table, knowing that the year they were in now was the year that everything changed and got worse. She especially remembered how after Sirius' death Remus had understandably retreated into himself for a while.

"Do we defeat him?"

"Yes." Hermione uttered, knowing there was no point in avoiding the subject.

"For good?"

"I hope so," Hermione rubbed her eyes, her voice small.

"Sorry to ask Hermione, for you, how long ago did it happen?" He asked softly.

"A month or two - I don't know Remus, it's been a blur ever since. I suppose in a way it's a relief to be here and to get away from it all."

"Yeah, I understand that, and Harry?"

"He's okay, he's getting there."

"That's a relief, once you get back will you send him our love?" Hermione glanced up at that, knowing he'd read her like a book. She damned his wolf senses, but was at least relieved that he hadn't just outright asked her like Sirius had.

"I will - if I ever get back," She added with a small forced laugh.

"We'll get you sorted," Remus smiled, "How's school going?"

They fell into an easy conversation, Hermione skipping details but giving him a rough overview of the past year; at least he would be prepared in some way If he remembered her words. She still wasn't quite sure what _this_ was after all; she silently mused whether the shock from the marble might have actually killed her and this was her strange idea of Heaven. Hermione stopped suddenly, her hand slamming onto the table in realisation. 

"A shock, something shocked me," she uttered in surprise, eyes widening as she interrupted Remus mid-sentence.

"Sorry?"

"The thing in the attic, I was holding it and it shocked me," she smiled brightly as she remembered. "Do you think Sirius has found it yet?"

"He'll have shouted us if he had," Remus couldn't help but smile slightly: this was the first time all day that she had responded to something in the way that his Hermione would.

* * *

 

It was getting late and Hermione kept catching Remus glancing at the clock. She had cooked some food and she and Remus had even played a game of cards, but still, Sirius didn't seem to be any closer to finding the staircase.

"Go home Remus," Hermione finally uttered, "Thank you for staying with me but please, go home,," Hermione smiled at him before letting out a yawn, "besides, I think it would be best for Sirius to call it a day; I'm pretty sure he'll have searched every nook and cranny of this house twice over by now."

"He probably stopped to take a nap somewhere," Remus smiled before heading over to do the door, "he has been uncharacteristically quiet for the past couple of hours though."

"You're probably right then," Hermione giggled.

"Padfoot?" There was a crash from above them and Hermione laughed, picturing the man jerking awake.

"Yeah?"

"I've got to get going," Remus called back.

"Alright, give me a minute," Sirius called back, sounding like he was struggling slightly.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh as he appeared in the doorway, covered in dust among other things.

"I'll carry on searching tomorrow Hermione, I promise," Sirius uttered, crestfallen that he hadn't managed to find the elusive staircase yet. He relaxed as he saw her smiling, a familiar twinkle in her eyes.

"Thank you Sirius, I really appreciate it."

"Sorry to cut this short-"

"Don't be daft," Hermione cut him off, offering him a smile.

"I'll be back to tomorrow," he promised, wrapping his arms around Hermione and she surprised herself by finding great comfort in his embrace.

* * *

Remus left and Hermione insisted on heating up the leftovers of the meal she had made, forcing Sirius to eat.

"So did you find anything?" She questioned, hopeful that Sirius might have come across even the smallest of things that might've helped even if he hadn't found the staircase.

"Well I found a stash of sweets that look like they belong to Fred and George, a dozen toothbrushes, a block of cheese that's waaaay past it's prime and a tshirt that I thought I had lost when I was 12. But alas, no staircase," Sirius sighed and Hermione couldn't help but laugh.

"Well I hope you didn't eat any of those sweets; they set up their own little business this year, selling sweets to make you ill and get you out of class."

"Did it go well?"

"It actually did," Hermione laughed, "It came in very helpful."

"Hermione Granger skipping class?" Sirius laughed gleefully.

"No! Never," She uttered, "We had an... an… altercation which they helped us get out of."

"Those boys are going to go far," He grinned to himself, his mind going back to his days at Hogwarts, completely missing the heartbreak that clutched at Hermione. She pulled herself together quickly, scolding herself.

"I remembered something earlier by the way - something shocked me. I can't remember what it was but that's what seems to have sent me back here."

"Right... okay..." Sirius uttered, getting lost in his thoughts for a second, "Well at least we have a bit of an idea what we're looking for when we find the staircase then."

* * *

Hermione and Sirius retired to his bedroom. They both sat on the sofa, Sirius on one end whilst Hermione curled up on the other with a blanket over her legs, trying her hardest not to fall asleep. He propped his head up with his hand as he spoke to her, telling her a story from when he and the Marauders had finished school. She laughed lightly at their antics, asking for more until Sirius was watching with a small smile as the witch who was fighting so hard to stay awake eventually gave in to it. He carefully picked her up, carrying her across to his bed where he laid her down before covering her with his duvet. Sirius placed a kiss on her forehead before going back to the sofa, rearranging it slightly before falling asleep himself.


	2. Chapter 2

Moaning softly, Hermione awoke and tried her best to fight the day by burrowing under the duvet. It took her a couple of minutes to remember where exactly she was and whose scent she was wrapped up in and when it did finally hit her, there was no way she was going to fall back to sleep anytime soon.

It had been five days since she had arrived in 1996 and they hadn't had any luck in finding the staircase again. She was going over what they could try next but Hermione had gotten to the point where she felt like they had genuinely tried everything and she was starting to lose hope. Frustratingly the library in Grimmauld Place didn't have a substantial amount of books - well at least not as many as she wanted. There wasn't anything to advise her in her predicament and whilst Hermione had suggested they should tell the rest of the Order to gather their opinions Sirius had warned strongly against it.

The problem was that Hermione knew too much. She knew who died, she knew how they won the war, she knew what Voldemort's weaknesses were and Sirius knew of certain Order members who would feel it was their right to know that information, no matter the cost.

Slowly Hermione had come to terms with Sirius leaving her on her own, the realisation that she wasn't going anywhere and neither was he hitting her quite hard. She thought of Ginny and Harry and she thought of Molly's reaction when she returned with Teddy to find Hermione missing. She wished she could tell someone where she was, she wanted to let them know she was okay. She wanted to reassure them that they hadn't lost her as well.

Giving up on sleep now that her mind was reeling she glanced around the room, finding that Sirius was already up. He'd transfigured the sofa into a lumpy looking bed and as much as Hermione had argued with him, he refused to swap with her.

Dragging herself up she pulled her hoody on, shivering slightly. She was wearing a pair of Sirius' lounge pants to sleep in along with a tshirt of his which buried her small frame. Strangely though she felt at peace here, feeling safer than she had in awhile.

Padding downstairs she found Sirius sitting at the kitchen table, Daily Prophet in hand. He smiled at her as he folded the paper and placed it on the table.

"You sure can sleep," He grinned. Hermione glanced at the clock in confusion, her eyes widening. It was 11am, she never slept this late, she had always been such an early riser. 

"Oh Merlin, I swear I never sleep in like this usually."

"Obviously needed it Kitten. Coffee?"

"Tea, please," Hermione sat at the table, already mentally going over her options as Sirius made her a cup of tea before popping some toast on for her.

"You know what I need? A library," She uttered, going over the options in her head, "Obviously I can't access Hogwart's but maybe there's one somewhere in London that I could use." Sirius leant back against the worktop, eyeing her.

"There's the British Library, it's near King's Cross."

"Really?" She perked up, actually excited at the prospect of getting to do some real research.

"Yes - in fact I bet Remus has been before, he could take you."

"I don't want him to have to take another day out to babysit me though," Hermione uttered, frowning slightly, "I'm sure I'll be fine on my own - I'll figure it out."

"I'm not saying you wouldn't be able to," Sirius said, turning his back on her whilst he buttered her toast, "I'm just concerned that there's two Hermione Grangers walking about and if anyone recognises you in the centre of London… well, things could get complicated."

"Okay, fair point," She accepted the toast gratefully and Sirius took his seat at the table again, "I'm sorry if it seems like I'm being awkward, it's just that I'm not used to having to rely on other people in this way."

"Well we want to help you whether you like it or not kitten."

"I just think you're eager to get rid of me," Hermione grinned, taking a sip of her tea.

"Of course I am! I'm sick of you cooking for me and oh Merlin, the company! The company is just horrendous. How I long to be alone again in this house." Hermione laughed. She enjoyed this routine, she hadn't really had the chance to talk to Sirius one on one before, the house had always been so full of people.

She finished her breakfast quickly, eager to get stuck into some research. Grabbing her mug and plate she headed to the sink.

"Would you send Remus an owl for me please, see when he's free?" Hermione asked, quickly washing her pots by hand. 

"Of course." She hummed softly, placing the clean pots on the side to dry.

"Thank you. Right I'm going to go and get ready, thank you for breakfast," She pecked his cheek before rushing off. 

* * *

 

Magically cleaning her clothes for the fifth day in a row she thought she should probably buy some new ones whilst she was out; after all, she wasn't really sure how long she was going to be stuck there and she couldn't just keep wearing Sirius' clothes as well as the same pair of jeans day in and day out.

Silently she wondered how Ron would be coping with her disappearance; understandably he hadn't reacted well to Fred's death and she wasn't sure he could cope well with much more right now. She truly hoped he was okay and she couldn’t help but feel guilty at the fact that she felt so much more relaxed now that she was away from the grief that had taken a hold of her Grimmauld Place. It was an odd feeling to be in 1996 when everyone was still alive and no one knew what exactly was coming. 

Hermione dressed and finished getting ready. Leaving Sirius' room she silently padded down the stairs, stilling as she stepped into the hallway. She could hear Sirius talking in a hushed voice, curiousity stopping her from moving any further.

"I'm worried about her - you should hear the things she says in her sleep Remus." Hermione's heart leapt into her throat. What had she been saying? She hadn’t had nightmares since she had arrived so she couldn’t even guess at what she could have said. 

"She's been through a lot - she's strong though, you know that."

"Yes, she is quite incredible-"

"And apparently she's eavesdropping…" Remus spoke, cutting off Sirius, his voice projecting out into the hall. Hermione flushed at being caught, incredibly embarrassed that she hadn't even thought about Remus catching her scent. She gathered herself and took a deep breath before pushing the kitchen door open.

"Hi," she spoke sheepishly, giving them both a small smile, her cheeks tinted red, "sorry about that." Remus just looked at her with raised eyebrows before finally cracking and laughing lightly. He shook his head at her slightly as he pushed himself out of his chair. 

"It's okay, you ready to go?"

"Oh Remus, I'm sorry, I told Sirius to ask you when you were free, you don't have to drop everything, this can wait-"

"I did ask that and he's free now," Sirius gave her a wink, "Stop overthinking it sweetheart."

"Come on, it's fine. Are you ready?"

"Just abouts…" Hermione glanced to the corner where her shoes were usually kept, suddenly realising she didn't have any here in that time, "except… I haven't got any shoes."

"Give me a second and I'll shrink a pair of mine," Sirius jumped up from the table before leaving the room, appearing a second later with a pair of boots to hand.

"What size feet are you?"

"Four," She watched as he shrunk them before she pulled them on, thanking Sirius profusely. She gave him a quick hug before she and Remus left Grimmauld Place and disapparated.

* * *

 

It felt incredible to be outside after having been stuck in Grimmauld Place. Even after the battle of Hogwarts she had spent most of her time in the house, looking after Teddy and keeping a watchful eye on Harry, Ron and the Weasleys. It was a relief to be outside and it was especially nice to have Remus at her side.

"Can we go to Diagon Alley afterwards if we have time?" Hermione asked, the sun beating down on her neck, feeling quite at peace, "I need to go to Gringotts."

"You have your key with you?"

"Always," She pulled her collar to the side, showing him the chain around her neck.

"Okay well sure - we'll head there first, get it out of the way."

Diagon Alley was beautiful. It had been so long since Hermione had seen it so calm and she was in her element. Witches and wizards milled around without a care whilst others rushed busily to work. It was perfect. As Gringotts came into view she couldn't help but smile, the last time she had been there she had left on the back of a Dragon - oh the stories she itched to tell Remus and Sirius.

Such a mixture of smells filled the air of Diagon Alley and Hermione absolutely loved it. She had to keep her head down though, not wanting to attract any attention - especially not from the keen eyed Goblins of Gringotts. Everything went without a hitch though, she withdrew some muggle money, just enough to get some clothes, but enough for this time's Hermione not to notice.

Noticing the change of mood in Hermione, Remus kept glancing to her as they walked in relative silence, just glad that the witch seemed to be perking up more and more as the days went by. She insisted that they travel by tube to get to St Pancras, Hermione easily navigating the Underground through rush hour as if she travelled this way everyday. Remus had almost said no, saying it would be quicker to apparate but stopped himself, seeing her in her element. It was busy though, way too busy for Remus to feel comfortable when it was so close to a full moon.

"I'm sorry," She finally said when she noticed Remus' disgruntled face. She was pressed against him, holding onto the metal pole to stop herself from falling over. Remus simply nodded in response, on edge. His senses were being flooded by the bodies that were all pressed into the small carriage and the Wolf wasn't happy. Left, right and centre new scents were hitting him, Hermione's the strongest with her being right under his nose. That's when he caught it. The slight scent of something unfamiliar but somehow familiar all the same. It confused him, his mind reeling, ready to get off of the tube and into the open air again.

They changed lines much to Remus' relief and they were actually actually able to sit down and breath a little.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked softly.

"It's coming up to that time of the month," He uttered glancing around them, "and there's a lot of people here."

"I'm sorry," She placed her hand on his knee which was bouncing in agitation. She genuinely felt bad for not having thought of the consequences before dragging him down onto the underground. "We'll get off at the next stop and walk the rest of the way, we're not far."

"Thank you," he uttered. Hermione was getting flushed anyway, the heat of the underground suffocating her slightly.

"Come on," she spoke, jumping up, Remus following suit as she left the carriage.

He followed behind her, entering a stream of people that were moving up towards the exits. He stayed as close to her as he could, trying not to lose the little witch in the mass of commuters. The crowd split, finally thinning as they all walked quickly and with purpose up a walkway.

It was like a wind tunnel down there, heat and noise surrounding them, blasting them with hot air. Hermione's scent was hitting him hard whilst mixed with the smell of Sirius' shampoo. It was an odd mix but it was comforting at least unlike the strangers that had been pressed around them before. Hermione jumped on the escalator, standing in front of Remus. She turned to face him as they ascended, looking at him with concern. 

"Okay?"

"Better," Remus said with a small nod and Hermione let out a breath of relief making Remus chuckle, "You worry too much Hermione."

"So I've been told," she smiled in return and turned back around. Remus immediately stilled, Moony catching that foreign scent on her again. It was barely there but it caught him off guard; it was on her skin, hidden beneath the artificial smell of products.

Getting out into the open was a relief, the wind immediately clearing his head. It was a cold but dry January morning and he was thankful for it as they headed towards The British Library. Hermione was in her element, finally getting the chance to do some research and feel the familiar weight of a leather bound book in her hands.

Hermione followed Remus' lead, entering around the back of the building. They walked down a long dark corridor, stepping over the odd mop and bucket that had been left carelessly in the middle of the carpet. Entering through the sixth door on the right they entered a small flowery room which had two desks facing each other on opposite sides of the room.

Hermione looked to the women that sat behind them, noticing that they didn't even flinch and their eyes didn't waver once from the paperwork in front of them. She closed the door behind them, watching as Remus walked towards the back wall, pulled his wand out and then touched it to one of the flowers on the wallpaper that was slightly more faded than the rest.

The room instantly shook, slowly beginning to move down into the belly of the building, the flowery wallpaper being left behind above them. The two women didn't say anything until finally the room came to a stop and the woman to the right cleared her throat.

"Please sign your name here," Hermione looked to her in surprise, not having expected her to speak at all. Remus stepped forward, signed his name and then waited for Hermione to do the same.

They exited the room through a flowery door on the back wall and immediately Hermione was in awe. Small paper messengers were flying over head whilst witches and wizards walked around them in bright robes. There were a few wizards sitting behind a counter at the far end, serving those that wanted to check books out.

"I love this place ready," Hermione whispered to Remus as he lead her over to the side where a plan of the building was. Remus couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm, looking for the room they needed on the complex plan.

"I think I know where we need to be," Remus uttered, looking lost in thought before tapping one of the rooms.

"I'll follow you then," Hermione smiled at him, excitement bubbling in her.

They barely spoke as they walked, Hermione too distracted by everything that was going on around her. She was trying not to gawp but she felt like she had the first time she had entered Diagon Alley when she was 11 years old. She glanced into rooms as they passed them, each of them holding different kinds of books and a few holding what she could only assume from a distance were artifacts.

The walls of books rose high, meeting glass panes on the ceiling which flooded the rooms with natural light. It seemed that the library was a huge dome and the walkway they were on went directly through the centre. Hermione was utterly in her element.

"Hermione," Remus' sharp voice caught her attention, "Go into the next room on the left," his voice was hushed but urgent. She didn’t argue as she followed his order, turning into the next doorway whilst Remus walked on. Hermione could have laughed at the room that she had entered, the bright colours and soft toys in the centre of the room immediately making her pine for home. She watched a mother and her five year old daughter in the centre of the room and suddenly she felt incredibly weighed down with nostalgia.

Hermione had frequently pulled her mother into book shops as a child, quite happy to read to her, making her mother sit on the floor in front of her. She had been a bossy child and she could only have a imagined what it would've been like if she had had a younger sibling.

Finding herself staring she snapped herself out of her memories. She looked at the books on the wall, waiting for Remus to come back for her. She trailed her fingers along the spines of the books, not being able to help but smile in amusement. She pulled one out, reading the cover, '101 Charms and Potions to Banish Morning Sickness'. Genuinely curious she flicked the cover open, finding herself surprised at the concoctions it suggested.

"Are you expecting?" Hermione looked up at Remus' teasing voice, laughing lightly in response.

"I hope not," She slid the book back onto the shelf. "What was that about?"

"A couple of ministry workers, they work with Arthur and know who you are - they would have questioned why you weren't at school." They left the room, falling into step with one another again.

"I think this is it," Remus uttered, veering them towards a room on the right.

The walls towered high, Hermione reading a few of the spines, eager to get stuck in.

"This is perfect," she breathed, already starting to pull books off of the shelf, piling them into her arms - Remus watched her in amusement.

"I'll research dark magic that could've done this to you," Remus finally said, "and it looks like you're looking into time travel." Hermione chuckled at that and agreed that she was happy with that plan.

They split up before meeting at a table at the back of the room; Hermione with eleven books cradled in her arms, Remus with three. She grabbed some parchment and ink from the side, making notes on anything that she thought might find helpful. Fully immersing herself, her mind on nothing but time travel.

They had been working continuously, Hermione barely speaking a word except for when she was muttering to herself.

"Do you want children?" Remus asked interrupting her thoughts. Hermione looked up in surprise, noticing the way Remus was still staring down at the book in front of him. Her stomach dropped, she knew what was coming.

"Maybe one day," She kept her voice even, placing her quill down, "I'm not in a hurry." There was silence and Hermione looked back down at her book, waiting for him to continue.

"Hermione," He was hesitant, glancing to her before looking down again, "On the tube, I caught a scent on you, it was faint but it was oddly familiar."

"Yes," Hermione had been dreading this conversation. She thought she had managed to avoid it after having doused herself in shower gel and scrubbed her skin harder than necessary all week.

"I- I just-" Remus was struggling, "I think I understand now-"

"Remus," she kept her voice soft, reaching across the table and taking his hand in hers. He finally met her eyes and she offered him a small smile, "Do you want to know?"

"Yes," he swallowed hard, knowing he shouldn't but Moony was getting protective and he was fighting against Remus' instincts.

"In my time you have a son, a beautiful son." Remus was struggling, such an intense mix of emotions hitting him.

"I'm sorry Remus, I shouldn't have-"

"No, no, I wanted to know." He squeezed her hand gently before letting go. "Does he take after me?"

"A little but he mostly has his mother in him."

"That's a relief," Remus let out a breathy laugh. "Who is she?"

"You'll have to find that one out yourself," Hermione winked. Remus smiled, going quiet before breathing out a small thank you.

Hermione was getting frustrated. She and Remus had been at it all day and they hadn't come any closer to finding out what could've happened. Nothing made sense, it just didn't add up.

"Hermione?"

"Mm?" She was angrily flipping through pages, trying to find anything of relevance.

"Let's call it a day," Remus suggested. She sighed, rubbing her face in frustration.

"What time is it?"

"Just past seven."

"Okay," she looked at the books she hadn't had the chance to look through yet, "do you think I could check these out?"

"I'll do it for you."

"Thank you," she offered him a small smile, feeling drained.

* * *

 

Hermione didn't argue as they left the library, allowing Remus to lead her away and disapparate them both. She held the books to her chest, stepping through the wards and into Grimmauld Place.

"Successful day?" Sirius immediately bounded into the hallway at the sound of their arrival, briefly eyeing the books in Hermione's arms.

"Not really," She sighed. "I'm going to go get my head stuck into these - thank you for today Remus."

"Same again tomorrow?"

"If you don't mind," She sounded so tired, mentally exhausted.

"No, that's fine, I'll see you in the morning."

Hermione nodded before walking down the hall, heading for Sirius' room. She heard Remus say something to Sirius about him making sure that she ate before she fell out of earshot.

* * *

 

Changing into one of Sirius' tshirts and a pair of his lounge pants, she set up on his makeshift bed, spreading the books around herself, reading through the notes that she had made on the parchment throughout the day. She was getting annoyed though as none of it was adding up. According to her notes so far, it shouldn't have even been possible for her to be where she was without a time turner and she was 99% sure that if she had found a time turner she would not have been playing with it no matter how awful she had felt at the time.

It didn't take long for Sirius to find her with a bowl of soup in hand. He handed her the bowl before moving to the end of the bed, just silently watching her as she worked.

"None of it adds up," she signed eventually, throwing one of the books down, making him jump. She'd barely touched the soup.

"Is there anything I can do to help kitten."

"No, but thank you," she sighed, rubbing her eyes, "I'm sorry to have left you alone all day - Harry told me how much you hated being stuck in this house."

"Well yeah, but you know, the idea is to get you back home, I doubt you're here just to be my playmate," he teased lightly, offering her a smile which she returned tiredly.

"I should probably call it a night to be honest, I'm just getting worked up now."

"That would be a good idea, it's been a long day," he helped her clear the bed, carefully tucking parchment into the relevant books.

"I'll take the sofa bed tonight and you can have your own bed for once," Hermione said as she pulled the duvet back.

"I don't think so," Sirius laughed, standing before her with raised eyebrows.

"Seriously, you can take your bed tonight, I really don’t mind."

"Well I don't want to, I'll have you know that I prefer the sofa." She blatantly ignored him, pulling the duvet back on the sofa bed, about to get. 

"Right kitten, you asked for it." Hermione had known that she was in for a battle but she definitely hadn't expected Sirius to play dirty. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her off of the sofa bed. Hermione squirmed as his fingers dug into her ribs, tickling her. She screamed in laughter, begging him to stop, trying to get away from him but he wasn’t having anything of it. He picked her up and went to drop her onto the bed but Hermione took him off guard by dragging him down with her.

"That's so unfair, you have shear strength on your side," she laughed loudly, her stomach aching from her giggles. She felt him tense against her then though, and immediately she thought she had crossed a line..

"Who did that to you?" She looked to his face, tensing as well as she saw exactly where his eyes were trained. The mood was shot as Hermione pushed herself up, immediately hiding the scar on her arm from view.

"Sirius, please, I can't tell you about any of that," She said softly as Sirius sat back on his heels opposite her. 

"Remus said you told him he has a son. This is no different from that."

"It is, you don't understand. We don't know how this sort of time travel works," Hermione was getting frustrated, pushing herself away from Sirius towards the head board. "If I tell you who did it it might make you do things differently and that could change the whole course of time."

"As soon as we find out how you got here, if you can tell me, will you?" Sirius asked, feeling desperate to know. Hermione was getting distressed. She felt exhausted and didn't need Sirius dragging those memories to the surface again - she didn't need to be reminded about everything she had once been through but was now trying to get past.

"Okay," She felt defeated and exhausted.

"Take the bed tonight, okay? We can swap tomorrow night if you really want to."

"Okay," Hermione uttered, accepting it as Sirius wrapped her in a hug. He placed a kiss on her forehead before whispering goodnight.

Hermione tossed and turned long after the lights had darkened, her mind reeling with everything that had happened that day.

* * *

 

It was a fitful night, the first she had had since she arrived. Hermione dreamt of the forest, the chase and everything that lead to Bellatrix sitting atop her, carving into her arm. Hermione awoke with a gasp, sweating profusely. She reached for her wand in a fit, pushing herself up from the bed with a whimper but she immediately felt a hand on hers. 

"Hey, hey, I’m here, it’s okay," her eyes quickly became used to the dark and she found him crouched beside the bed. Instinctively she threw herself towards him, wrapping her arms around him neck, letting out a sob which she just couldn’t keep in. His familiar smell surrounded her, making her feel safer immediately.

"I can't do this," she whimpered, "I can't handle this."

"You're strong," Sirius spoke, gently stroking her hair, holding her to him tightly. They stayed like that for a while whilst she calmed down.

"Okay?" He asked gently as she pulled away from her, wiping at her eyes harshly.

"Yeah.”

“Okay, good,” He was about to step away when Hermione panicked, feeling like she had when she had first seen Sirius again.

"Don't leave me," She whispered, “Please don’t leave me.”

"I'll just be over there kitten."

"No, please," she spoke, pulling his arm gently. She had often snuck into Ron's bed since the war, the presence of someone else beside her always seemed to ease her nightmares when they were at their worst. 

"Okay, okay," He said soothingly, slipping under the duvet beside her, not hesitating in wrapping his arms around her. She placed her head on his chest, the sound of his heartbeat eventually lulling her to sleep again.


	3. Chapter 3

Remus and Hermione spent the most part of the next few days researching but without any luck. The full moon was drawing closer though and Remus was starting to get agitated in Hermione's presence. He restricted himself to a couple of hours a day with her before cutting it down to just escorting her to and from the library. On the day of the full moon he had finally gave in and stayed home though, sending an owl to explain his absence.

Hermione knew how he would react about her going on her own, his letter giving her strict instructions not to. Sirius couldn't help but laugh when she told him that she was still going to go.

"Has no one ever told you not to piss off a wolf kitten?" He'd asked but Hermione just huffed, feeling like she had no freedom, knowing that she would be going whether the wolf and dog liked it or not.

* * *

Hermione was pretty sure that she and Remus had exhausted the books in the room that they had been residing in for the past week so she headed out into the hallway. It took her a couple of minutes to locate it but when she did she stood before the huge map of the library, looking at each of the rooms individually, feeling slightly lost.

"Can I help you love?" Hermione couldn't help but jump slightly, turning to find a young Wizard standing beside her in library robes. She eyed him briefly, not recognising him which she found to be positive at least.

"I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking for to be honest."

"Well what is it you're writing about?" He gestured to the parchment that she held to her chest and Hermione hesitated, not sure exactly how to explain it. In the back of her mind she was well aware that if Remus had been with her he would have dragged her off in a hurry by now.

"I'm trying to research an object that has the ability to transport someone back in time. It's not a time turner and it seems to shock and daze the person who has used it."

"Sounds like dark magic to me love," He looked at her with intrigue.

"I've looked into that, there doesn't seem to be anything to connect time travel and dark magic."

"Well it could be that the object itself isn't naturally magical - it could have been bewitched. So for example a portkey is an ordinary object until it is bewitched to transport the user to another destination. It's the same concept as your object however yours moves the person through time."

"Yes exactly," Hermione paused in thought, going through what she knew so far, "do you know where I could find information on magic that could do that?" A bubble of excitement sat in her stomach and she only just managed to stop herself from bouncing on her heels. There wasn't much that still excited Hermione anymore but books were something that could never be taken from her.

"Hang on," He uttered, looking to the map. He scanned it before tapping his finger on a room, "Try looking in there, room 302, there's books on bewitched objects and the like - there's a lot of dark magic in there," He chuckled, "so watch yourself."

"Thank you," Hermione nodded, smiling now that she had a new lead.

"If you need any help just give me a yell, the names Alistair Travers."

"Thank you Alistair."

Hermione left quickly, briskly heading towards room 302, eager to see what she could find there. She held the wad of parchment in her hand, the pages rustling as she walked. She wondered what Remus would say about her having spoken to library staff, knowing that he probably would have called it an unnecessary risk; his grumbling at her had increased over the past week and she was actually quite thankful to be doing this on her own.

She had too much on her mind to look into each of the rooms that she was passing before finally Hermione found it, room 302. Whilst most of the rooms didn't have doors, there was a large black one standing in the way of her entrance with a large piece of parchment in the centre. Above the parchment sat a sign that warned that if any entrants that weren't of age were to enter then they would be fined a considerably high amount whilst having an official Ministry warning against their name. She hesitated as she picked the quill up, hoping that it would know her true age before she signed her name, finding it promising when the door opened for her.

Stepping inside she felt on edge, suddenly regretting her previous thoughts of Remus and wishing he was with her. Hermione tried to shake herself out of it, telling herself that she was still in the same library and that she had no need to be anxious. The room held the same amount of light as the others but yet it still somehow felt suffocating and she couldn't help but liken it to when she had worn the Horcrux around her neck the previous year.

A sign to her right stated that the books before her should be handled with extra care. Hermione scanned some of the titles before moving over to a cabinet of objects that resided in the centre of the room. She looked over them, reading their descriptions, hoping that one of them would look familiar or help her memory click.

With no such luck she headed to one of the smaller book shelves not really sure what she was looking for exactly. She pulled out a book at random before moving onto the next section, repeating the action until she had five books piled in her arms. She passed a couple of witches and wizards as she made her way to a table, suddenly feeling paranoid. Shaking herself out of it she opened the first book which was regarding binding curses and blood magic.

It took her a couple of hours to get through the books, keeping a few to the side for reference. She pulled another five books from the shelves, carefully avoiding those with warning signs near them, not fancying having a book hex her or scream in her face. From her new pile of books she disregarded the first one almost immediately before opening the cover of the second and making some notes.

Hermione was halfway through the introduction chapter when she began to wonder. The book listed protection spells, charms and potions for the everyday witch or wizard that wanted to protect themselves, their property or someone they cared about without detection. It was a long shot but it was the closest that she had felt yet, not putting it past the Blacks to use forbidden magic to protect themselves. She flipped to the first section which contained potions which could cause all manner of horrid things to happen to the person that was sticking their nose in where they shouldn't.

Hermione winced at some of the descriptions deciding to skip ahead to the next section: cursed objects. She read through each of the introductions, her heart leaping in her chest before she stopped. Hermione stared down at the page before her, reading the line over and over again, making sure she was truly grasping what she was reading.

' _Once an undesirable is in the vicinity of your object it will transport the undesirable so that they are before you, ready for you to personally deal with._ '

She flicked through the next few pages, each of them having variations of objects which were designed to transport the intruder to another destination. Hermione's mind was reeling and she wished more than anything that Remus was with her for this discovery.

Hermione didn't waste another second, grabbing the book of protection spells, her wad of parchment and a couple of other books that had looked like they could be of help. Hermione was quick to leave, checking the book out before rushing to disapparate back to Grimmauld Place. She was eager to speak to Sirius about her findings, hoping that he would recognise the type of magic.

* * *

As soon as she had stepped through the wards and into the house Hermione was distracted. She frowned, music was playing loudly from one of the downstairs rooms, blasting out into the house.

"Sirius?" She called, following the music. She stopped at the living room, pushing the door open and drawing her wand as a precaution, the music getting louder as she entered the room. Sirius' surprised eyes met hers before he reached up to the record player, hitting it with his wand until the needle moved away.

"Hermione," He slurred in confusion, "why are you back?" He went to get up from where he was slumped against the sofa on the floor but Hermione rushed forward, dropping her books and stopping him before he fell over. She took note of the half empty bottle of Firewhiskey beside the man, trying not to knock it over as she steadied him.

"I found something that I thought might help us," she uttered distracted, placing a hand on his arm, crouching in front of him, "are you okay?"

"Just dandy," He shook her off, trying to stand again before allowing Hermione to steady him. He looked a mess, his dark shirt half open, the tattoos on his chest standing out in stark contrast against his skin.

"What's wrong?" Hermione tried but the man was too preoccupied, putting another vinyl on, the sound a lot quieter this time. She watched his fumbled movements and the way he turned to look at her, his gaze softening before he fell back onto the sofa.

Hermione was uncomfortable, not knowing what to say or do. It wasn't often that she had had to deal with drunks and it put her outside of her comfort zone entirely.

"Where's Remus, Moony, old pal?" Sirius asked with a frown, noticing the way she hovered.

"Tonight's the full moon," Hermione spoke softly, "you know that," She was fighting with herself, not knowing whether she should leave him be or sit and comfort him.

"Oh yes…" He laughed breathily, "Yes, you're driving him insane," Sirius uttered distracted, hurt hitting her in the chest.

"Pass me the bottle 'mione," Sirius spoke, not noticing the way her eyes had dropped to her hands. The witch hesitated before picking up the bottle and passing it to him.

"Sit down love, you're making me feel on edge," She did as he asked, watching him take another swig before offering it to her. Hermione declined the offer, concerned about the man, trying to find the right words as she studied him.

"I didn't expect you back for hours," he turned to meet her eyes, sounding defensive before frowning at her, "you look scared kitten."

"No," Hermione responded softly, "I'm just worried." Sirius snorted at that.

"Well you weren't meant to see me like this."

"Well I have, and now I'm worried," Hermione brought her legs up onto the sofa, the library books left forgotten on the floor. Sirius mumbled something to himself, looking at her in a way that she wasn't used to.

"I can't find the attic you know," he stated.

"Is that why you're drinking?" Hermione reached out touching his shoulder, moving closer to him, not having seen him look so broken since she was 14 years old. "Because it doesn't matter, I'll get home when I get home."

"I drink for many reasons Hermione Granger," he spoke with a sigh, leaning into her touch, "I drink to drown out the silence, to forget, to distract myself. I drink to punish myself. I drink to be calm."

"You don't need to Sirius, you have us? You have Harry, the Order, Remus."

"The only person I truly have is Kreacher and that little shit would betray me in a heartbeat if he wasn't bound to me." Hermione stayed silent, searching Sirius' pale grey eyes before he looked away and took another swig of Firewhiskey.

"I think the reason I can't find the attic is because I don't want to." He spoke, going back to his previous statement.

"Why don't you want to?"

"I don't want to lose you Hermione. I like having you here, I like the company and I'm not ready to go back to solitary bloody confinement."

"You have Remus," she spoke softly, her hand going down to his forearm. His shirt was rolled up at the sleeves and her thumb found the bare skin there, stroking gently.

"He's a free man, he doesn't want to be tied to this house any more than I do," Sirius sighed heavily, taking another swig, "which is exactly what I'm doing to you if I can't find this attic."

"I'm fine, we'll find it eventually," Sirius grunted in response, "Honestly. It's fine. Everything was complicated and exhausting but here, here I feel calm." Hermione spoke, feeling guilty at her words but she couldn't deny that it was true.

"Please tell me about it," Sirius spoke, catching the way Hermione frowned at him, "just anything I missed that won't change my future. Anything."

Hermione thought for a second about the past few years, trying to think of things that would be relevant to Sirius and what would make him happy.

"Well Harry and Ginny are finally in a relationship. Ginny refuses to leave his side, they're truly inseparable," She started, her smile dropping slightly.

"Go on," Sirius' voice was soft as Hermione hesitated.

"We were on the run for a long time," she spoke, "we had no way to contact anyone but we'd listen to the radio every night, both Ron and Harry listening for Ginny's name when the dead were listed. The relief on both of their faces when the list ended was always calming. If Harry or Ron was on watch I would go out and tell them and their face would soften slightly, a weight leaving their shoulders for that day."

"And you and Ron? Is there a story there?" Hermione blushed, letting out a breathy laugh.

"We're… complicated."

"You're complicated?"

"I don't feel comfortable talking about it," Hermione said, blushing as she leant into the back of the sofa.

"We're both adults here kitten," Sirius reminded her with a grin.

"We just found comfort in each other whilst we were on the run," Hermione finally spoke after going over it in her head, "It was lonely and times were dark," Hermione blushed, avoiding Sirius' eyes, having to remind herself that this was Sirius, not one of her Gryfindor friends. "But now, now I don't think we're anything."

"Good on you," Sirius was smiling at her, enjoying the blush that tinged her cheeks. "So tell me about our dear friend Remus."

"There's not much to say."

"Well that's not true, he has a son," Hermione narrowed her eyes at him as he continued, "so who is the little witch that helps him take his guard down enough to have a child with her?"

"You know I can't share that with you," Hermione quirked a smile at him, swatting his arm lightly.

"Is it you kitten?" Sirius loved the way her eyes widened in surprise.

"Don't be daft, I've been a little bit too busy to be making babies Sirius."

"Well apparently not when it comes to Ron." She flushed red again, the older wizard taking great amusement in it. He could see her falling into her thoughts though and whilst Sirius had been drinking he still had his wits about him, knowing it would be dangerous territory that he could lose her in.

"Tell me about your scar," Sirius spoke, successfully dragging her back to the present but he watched as her eyes darted up to his he could see her putting further walls up. He reached across, trying to stop it from happening by gently moving a lock of hair behind her ear. The gesture had her studying his face in confusion before he then trailed his fingers down to her chin, touching her so softly.

"You don't have to say any names, just tell me what happened kitten," his voice was as soft as his touch and Hermione felt bewitched by it.

"No names?"

"No names." His fingers went to her hair, playing with it, watching as it helped to break her walls down.

"We were in the forest when snatchers attacked us," Hermione started, closing her eyes, "it was my fault; the place we were running from Harry and Ron had only agreed to go to because I'd insisted. Then we were in the forest and we were surrounded. They caught us and took us to-" she caught herself, opening her eyes to find Sirius watching her intensely, "they took us to this place. They found something on us and they couldn't understand how we had it." Hermione took a deep breath, closing her eyes again, trying to keep the tears back as she relived the memories in her mind's eye, "they decided to interrogate me - I imagine it's my blood status as to why they chose me. The worst thing was that I was telling them the truth, I didn't know how we got it, it had just appeared to Harry one night. But they wouldn't listen. They just wouldn't believe me," She felt Sirius wipe away a tear that had escaped. Hermione sniffed, opening her eyes, roughly wiping away the tears that followed.

"But I'm here, we got away. A lot of people weren't that lucky so I can't complain."

"You're allowed to feel shit about what happened," Sirius spoke softly, "come here." She didn't need to be told twice, pulling herself into his side. He wrapped his arm around her, smiling slightly as she burrowed her head into the crook of his neck.

"It wasn't your fault. No matter how much you think it was, it wasn't." Hermione didn't respond, staying silent against him, the smell of Firewhiskey strong on his breath, "Is that what you have nightmares about?"

"My nightmares aren't picky, they focus on anything from the past few years." She reached out and took the Firewhiskey from Sirius' hand. She took a swig, flinching as it burned down her throat, finally relaxing when she felt Sirius place a kiss in her hair.

"Do you still have nightmares about Azkaban?"

"Yes," Sirius sighed, "I think the worst thing is that even though I'm free of Azkaban my name still hasn't been cleared. I still have to hide away." Hermione stayed silent, his hand going to her hair again, tangling his fingers in her locks.

"It always makes me wonder what it would have been like if James and Lily hadn't died. If I hadn't been sent to Azkaban," He took a long drink, "but, it's best not to dwell on what could've been. It's enough to drive you mad." Hermione stayed silent, not knowing what to say. She traced shapes on his shirt instead, Sirius watching her fingers as they danced around the buttons, his eyes darkening slightly as she fiddled with them.

* * *

Sirius' vinyl played continuously in the background, filling the silence that would have otherwise been filling the room. Hermione continued to take the odd swig of Firewhiskey, beginning to enjoy the taste whilst Sirius started to sober up. He didn't stop playing with her hair, feeling her melting into him.

"What did you come back for?" He suddenly asked, remembering that it was only mid-afternoon.

"I found some books that I wanted your opinion on."

"Oh?" He murmured into her hair, slightly distracted by her scent.

"Yeah, it was in a questionable part of the library though - Remus will probably go mad when he finds out which room they were from."

"Probably," Sirius grinned, "Grab the books and we'll have a look kitten."

"No, it's okay, it can wait," She spoke softly.

"You sure?" His voice reverberated in his chest, Hermione smiling at the comfort that came from it. She placed her hand flat on his chest without really thinking. Everything about Sirius calmed her and well, the alcohol helped too.

"Yes," she breathed, clenching her fist and bunching his shirt in her hand for a second.

* * *

They sat in silence, listening to the music and sharing Firewhiskey, feeling connected more now than they ever had before. Sirius was battling with himself. He was well aware that this wasn't Hermione, the teenager, that he knew and he was well aware that it was instead Hermione, the woman, that was curled against him. He was also well aware that Remus was probably going to attempt to kill him for being so close to the witch again. The wolf hadn't reacted well in response to smelling her all over him the night after she had had nightmares but right now he didn't want to think of the explosion that would hit when he next saw his friend.

Still, even with that in mind, Sirius made a decision; whether it was a drunken one or not, he couldn't decide. He gently touched her chin, guiding her so that she was looking up at him. Hermione, slightly hazy with Firewhiskey, looked up into Sirius' rapidly darkening grey eyes that were searching her face. She truly admired the man, smiling as he placed a kiss on her forehead. She went to move her head back into the crook of his neck but Sirius' fingers stopped her.

"Sirius?" Her voice was so soft and the next thing she knew he was kissing her. Letting out a moan of surprise she took a second to respond before her hand went into his hair. It was Hermione that broke the connection, pulling way and placing a hand on Sirius' chest when he tried to kiss her again. She searched his eyes for a second in confusion before moving away completely.

"I'm going to get started on tea," She got up from the sofa too quickly, swaying slightly from a mixture of alcohol and blood rushing to her head. Sirius stayed silent, watching her as she left the room, swearing to himself.

* * *

Once in the kitchen she leant both hands against the counter, trying to make sense of what had just happened. She started to question what she had been thinking before scolding herself, it was just a kiss. That's it, a kiss. _With Harry's Godfather_. She knew Sirius, she knew how flirtatious he could be when he wanted to be. Hermione scolded herself for being so childish, he was drunk and just being Sirius.

She ran the tap quickly, downing a glass of water before setting her mind away from the man in the other room. Murmuring to herself she tried to decide what to cook, glancing behind her when the music from the living room was turned up again. She decided on lasagne, flicking her wand at the radio in the corner and bewitching it so that it played a muggle radio station. She turned it up loud to try and down out Sirius' presence in the house.

It didn't take long until she was singing softly to herself, distracting her mind and thinking about her family. It was her dad that had taught her to cook and it was truly something she had loved doing ever since she was small. They had often spent afternoons together in the summer holidays, experimenting with flavours and seeing what worked and what didn't. Those were the memories she hoped that she would never have to give up.

* * *

Hermione was serving the food up, silencing the radio about to shout for Sirius that it was ready.

"Smells good kitten," Hermione almost jumped out of her skin, spinning around to find Sirius leaning against the door frame, watching her with a small smirk.

"Asshole," She breathed, her hand doing to her chest, "Don't ever do that." She scolded.

"Sorry," He uttered, appearing to have sobered up considerably, giving her that smirk of his. Hermione ignored him, grabbing his plate and placing it on the table before him.

"Not eating with me?" He asked, noticing how the table was only set for one. Sirius raised his eyebrows at her and she could almost hear him asking her why she scared so easily.

"I'll be upstairs, I need to start looking through the books from the library."

"And it can't wait until after tea?" Sirius asked, raising his eyebrows at her. Hermione eyed him, torn before shaking her head.

"No, I need to make some notes to run over with Remus when he next comes around."

"Alright, well don't work too hard," Sirius grinned at her with a wink, making Hermione roll her eyes at the man before leaving the kitchen.


	4. Chapter 4

Hiding away in Grimmauld Place's library, Hermione sat scrawling notes on each of the objects which she thought could be connected to her situation. She was in a world of her own, the night getting later and darker until she was forced to turn the lamp on beside her also lighting a few candles for extra light. Wrapped in a blanket she was cosy, her notes on her knee and her ink pot suspended before her.

The floorboards creaked by the door, pulling her attention away from the parchment to find Sirius standing there, watching her with a small smile.

"It's getting late love," He spoke softly and she realised silently that this was the first evening she had spent alone since she had arrived.

"I'm nearly done," Hermione gave him a small smile before returning her quill to parchment, the candles flickering beside her. She glanced up as Sirius came over, sitting close beside her on the sofa, pulling the blanket over himself.

"Can I see?" She didn't say a word as she reached for the discarded parchment that sat on the floor, ready for Remus' eyes. She passed it to him, briefly watching his eyes trail over her neat handwriting.

Hermione was getting tired, not sure what time it was exactly just that it was late. Ideally it was Sirius she had wanted to talk through her research with that afternoon but now it was too late and she didn't have the energy to.

"Kitten, you're falling asleep," Sirius' words brought her back with a jolt, "come on, let's go to bed."

"No, nearly done, I was just resting my eyes," Hermione uttered with a yawn.

"No love, I'm cutting you off, come on, there'll be time in the morning to do that. I'll even make you eggs for breakfast."

"Fine… Just one more thing," She went to write something else making Sirius sigh before snatching the quill out of her hand and dropping it to the floor.

"Hermione Granger, you sure are stubborn when you're tired."

"Sirius," She grumbled in irritation, trying to stop him from dropping everything from the sofa onto the floor without any luck. "Stop it!"

"Not a chance," He flashed a smile at her before grabbing her and pulling her up, much to her protest, before throwing her over his shoulder.

"Sirius Black, you put me down right now!" She hit his back, going to reach for her wand but he stopped her, slipping it from her pocket.

"I'm doing you a favour."

"You're being an asshole," She counteracted. The room went dark and Sirius laughed lightly as he walked out into the hall with her, being careful not to knock her out with the door frame.

He entered their shared bedroom, Sirius heading over to the bed.

"It's my turn on the sofa," He heard her call before completely ignoring her. "I'm serious, Sirius!"

"Sure you are love," He dropped her down onto the mattress and she stared up at him angrily.

"You're insufferable."

"And you're grumpy when you're tired," Sirius retorted, rolling his eyes as he retreated to the sofa bed. Hermione ignored him, incredibly tempted to throw something at the back of his head.

"Turn around," Her voice was softening slowly, a yawn escaping her. He did as she asked, keeping his back to her whilst she changed into her pyjamas. She let him know when she was done and crawled beneath the duvet, actually quite thankful to be in its warmth, the house having a chill to it that night.

Hermione wrapped herself up contently, watching Sirius' back as he got changed, pulling his shirt off before carelessly throwing it into the corner. When she caught herself studying the scars and tattoos that littered his skin she flicked her eyes down to the floor instead, bundling herself in the duvet until she couldn't see anything other than blanket.

"Goodnight," She called softly as he turned the lights off.

"Goodnight kitten," He responded with a coo. Hermione rolled her eyes, smiling as she turned over.

* * *

Hermione tossed and turned, the tiredness she had felt before disappearing, restlessness flooding her mind. She was getting frustrated trying every single position she could think of before a sigh from across the room stilled her.

"Hermione, for Merlin's sake go to sleep," Sirius sounded tired and she felt bad, not realising she had been keeping him awake.

"I'm trying," She whispered back. She heard another sigh and the rustle of his duvet before through the darkness she saw Sirius getting out of bed.

"Budge up," he murmured before sliding under the duvet with her. He moulded his body to her side without a second thought, Hermione going rigid for a second before forcing herself to relax, reminding herself that it was only Sirius and it wasn't the first time he had shared her bed. His arm lay draped over her stomach, his face nestled against her shoulder.

"Your heart is racing love," His voice was soft, laced with sleep and Hermione couldn't help but blush into the darkness. His fingers traced over the skin of her arm, attempting to lull her but instead giving the opposite effect. For once, she wondered if he had actually been innocently attempting to help her sleep but after the kiss that they shared earlier, Hermione's mind was elsewhere entirely.

"Why're you so worked up?" He finally asked, his breath tickling the skin of her neck. She could swear that she could hear the smugness in his voice, almost wanting to elbow him in the ribs for ruining the moment.

"I'm just restless," Hermione answered, moving her arm away from his hand, letting out a shuddered breath.

"What's on your mind?"

"My research," she whispered back.

"Woman," Sirius grumbled, "Just leave it be until the morning. It isn't going anywhere."

"I know." She felt him place a kiss against her shoulder and she turned to look at him. She met his eyes, the close proximity making her heart race, not really knowing what was going on between them but liking it nonetheless.

"Goodnight Sirius," she whispered, tensing slightly as Sirius met her lips in a brief kiss.

"Goodnight kitten."

* * *

Hermione was back in the library the next morning, Sirius even having made her breakfast just like he had promised. She was content, curled up on the sofa, the blanket over her whilst she wrote. She had considered going to the library but she couldn't bring herself to when she thought of how she had found Sirius the previous day. So instead she stayed in, Sirius by her side all morning, helping her to sort her notes.

"Tea?" He had finally offered as she got increasingly frustrated - Hermione gave him a grateful smile in response.

Neither of them had addressed the elephant in the room yet, Hermione unwilling to be the one to say anything in case it really was just nothing and she was just over thinking. She had woken up with Sirius wrapped around her still, moulded behind her, his face buried in her hair. She couldn't deny that it had felt nice, the affection he was giving her was something she would never have expected but was quickly getting used to.

Lost in thought she didn't hear Remus arrive by Floo. It wasn't until she heard a crash from the kitchen that she sat up straighter, her ears straining. She smiled at first, thinking it was just Sirius being clumsy, but then she heard shouts.

Hermione didn't hesitate, grabbing her wand and heading for the stairs, her bare feet giving her the stealth she needed for an attack if needs be. She couldn't make out the words that were being shouted, but as soon as she entered the kitchen with her wand raised, her eyes widened in shock.

"Remus?"

"Get out!" Sirius shouted at her, his wand against Moony's throat. Remus struggled against him but Sirius was successfully holding his friend back, trying to stop him from lashing out again.

"Get out now!" He yelled again. Hermione hesitated, before she met Moony's golden eyes, knowing suddenly that Remus wasn't in control at all. She backed out of the room, Moony's eyes trained on her the whole time. She had barely got out of the room before the door slammed shut and she heard it lock behind her.

Hermione slid down the wood of the door, her senses going into overdrive. She could hear scuffling and Sirius trying to calm the wolf down, harsh words being shot between them.

The way Remus had looked at her made her blood run face was gaunt from the change and she couldn't imagine he had had much time to recover before he had floo'd to Grimmauld Place. She couldn't understand why Moony was in control anyway, surely Remus had taken his Wolfsbane potion the previous night, she couldn't imagine him letting himself forget.

"Remus, Remus you need to calm the hell down mate!" She could hear Sirius through the door, wanting so much to help him.

"I told you to stay away from her Padfoot! I told you not to touch her!" She heard a crash, the shatter of a pot hitting the floor. Her eyes were wide as she slid down the wall, one hand against the wooden door, the other on her wand.

"Remus it isn't like that!"

"Get out of my way."

"You shouldn't have come here so soon after your transformation Remus, you haven't had time to recover." Sirius' words were quick and well thought out.

"Don't talk to me like you know what it's like!"

"I am not the enemy!" Sirius barked back before silence filled the room. The door banged suddenly and Hermione almost leapt out of her skin.

"Remus," She could hear Sirius hiss from the other side of the door, "back the hell off man, I don't want to hurt you." There was a growl and a roar of anger, another bang and then silence.

Hermione's heart was racing in her chest, her eyes wide and alert. She jumped as the door suddenly opened, revealing Sirius with a busted lip and rapidly bruising eye.

"Sirius," She breathed in relief, dragging herself up and wrapping her arms around him. She looked behind him into the kitchen to find Remus slumped on the cold floor.

"Remus," she gasped, going to step past Sirius but he stopped her quickly.

"He's fine, leave him. He'll come around and have time to calm down before we talk to him," Sirius uttered, gently tugging her arm. "Come on." He locked the kitchen door behind him and Hermione followed him through to the living room, watching as he collapsed onto the sofa with a wince.

"What happened?" Hermione spoke, dropping onto the sofa beside him, bringing her feet up. She pulled her wand out, turning his face towards her. His pale grey eyes studied hers as she healed his lip and tried to stop the bruising on his face from getting any worse.

"Moony," Sirius started, "He can't drop the fact that you have the scent of his child on him. He was struggling last week to contain the wolf and then this morning, well apparently the wolf won."

"Oh," Hermione dropped her wand, glancing to the door concerned, "I should be with him when he wakes up."

"No," Sirius grasped her arm, stopping her, "you'll just make it worse. The only reason he went so mad this morning was because he could smell you all over me." Hermione sighed, rubbing her face.

"Great."

"Go get a shower, take your time and by the time that you're done you can go in and see if you can talk him around if he's still not calm by then."

"Okay," she whispered, her mind on Remus as Sirius placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Dont worry."

* * *

She took her time as Sirius had said to, her mind going over everything, debating whether to tell Remus about Tonks or not. She couldn't live like this and it seemed to be the only option she had if he was still in a state.

"Kitten?"

"Yes?" she called back, finishing drying her hair with her wand as Sirius stuck his head around the door.

"Just a word of warning; he's awake and he's pissed. He threw the kettle at my head when I went in."

"Moony or Remus?"

"Remus; Moony would've just tried to rip my throat out."

"Okay, I'll sort it, just stay out of the way Sirius."

"Yes boss."

* * *

Hermione opened the door a crack, Remus lifting his head from the table to meet her eyes as she entered.

"It's just me," she spoke softly. He didn't say anything, putting his head down again.

"You should be at home, in bed," Hermione spoke so softly, pulling out the chair next to him and sitting down. She wrapped her arm around his back, leaning her forehead against his shoulder.

"I'm not the mother of your child Remus," She added softly.

" _I_ know that however _Moony_ won't see sense." His words came out broken and muffled, "he just knows he smelt my child on you and that's all that apparently matters."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No… though it didn't help that when I got here you were both covered in each other's scents," Remus eyed her, waiting for a reaction. Hermione paused before sighing.

"My mind gets restless at night, he was just trying to comfort me, that's all," Hermione said, "you can't be angry at him for that Remus and Moony can't just fly off the handle whenever he smells Sirius on me," Hermione added, prodding him gently, "the man's like a leach at times." Remus breathed out a laugh, sitting up.

"Yeah I get that. If he steps out of line just punch him for me," he uttered, rubbing his face tiredly, looking older today than he had done in a while.

"Don't worry, I will," Hermione smiled, getting up, "Do you want some hot chocolate? Sirius asked Kreacher to get this really rich one - it's delicious, you must try it."

"Okay," Remus agreed, smiling slightly at the woman who had always been so caring towards him, "Thank you Hermione."

"You're welcome Remus."

* * *

Hermione spent the rest of the day in the library going through her research with Remus asleep in her lap, the blanket thrown over the both of them. Sirius had pulled an armchair up beside her, quietly talking through it all with her.

"My only issue with these are the fact that I can find the attic-"

"When you want to," Hermione teased.

"When I want to," Sirius confirmed, winking at her before tapping the parchment, "But I shouldn't be able to find it if it's one of those as I'm not an intruder."

"Maybe it is also a genuine room then and it's just the object that shocked me that's meant for the intruders."

"That's a bit of a long shot though when we don't know what exactly the object is," Remus mumbled, his voice laced with sleep, his eyes still closed.

"So maybe I should try looking for the room?" Hermione asked, "I'm the intruder so it might show for me?"

"It's a 50/50 chance kitten, but the fact that you're here already puts the odds more in my favour."

"I agree," Remus murmured.

"Go back to sleep Remus," Hermione spoke softly, her hand threading into his hair.

"And miss the riveting discussion? No."

"Go to sleep," Hermione retorted softly, playing with his hair, her fingers tickling the nape of his neck before the man dozed off again.

"All of this is just guesswork until we find the attic though," Hermione reasoned, "so I think it would be worth me looking for at least two or three days."

"I would suggest a day," Sirius counteracted, fiddling with his moustache.

"I'm pretty sure you're just trying to disagree with everything I say," Hermione uttered, getting annoyed.

"I'm actually not," Sirius laughed lightly, "It's just that if it doesn't show for you after a day then it's not going to."

"I spent years in Grimmauld Place and it never once showed to me before. One day isn't long enough." Hermione was standing her ground.

"Maybe it did show to you before, but you were too distracted to actually notice it," he reasoned, "every other time you were in this house it was when there were so many other things going on."

"But Harry, Ron and I searched this house top to bottom! Wait , Kreacher! He could tell us if he remembers a Black cursing an object or if he knows of the room."

"That would only help if he was the house elf at the time, my family have had a lot over the years."

"But it's worth asking," Hermione stressed, Sirius frustrating her with how reluctant he was being.

"Of course kitten."

"So maybe you should go do that?"

"Maybe."

"Sirius," Hermione groaned, eyeing the man who was lazing back in his armchair, eyeing her with a twinkle in his eyes, "Please, will you just go speak to Kreacher."

"I was just waiting for the magic word precious," Sirius stated, raising his eyebrows with a smirk.

"You're so infuriating."

"You love it," he winked before finally getting up and heading for the door.

"Screw you."

"Welcome to my world," Remus uttered half asleep.

* * *

Sirius didn't take long before he had returned, bringing with him two mugs of hot chocolate and a coffee for himself. Hermione had gratefully accepted the hot beverage, cupping it in her hands, looking to Sirius expectantly.

"So?"

"Kreacher doesn't know anything." Hermione had tried not to get her hopes up but still her stomach dropped when Sirius had said that, dropping back into his arm chair.

"Sorry kitten."

"Right okay," Hermione sighed, "well I better start looking for the attic then."

"Wait, wait," he uttered softly as he saw her go to move Remus, "surely it can wait until tomorrow Hermione?"

"Sirius, I can't just sit here, it'll drive me insane."

"Well drink your hot chocolate first at least," he tried, smiling slightly when she relented. They sat in silence, Hermione getting lost in her thoughts, studying Sirius.

"I have to leave at some point Sirius," she finally spoke, "I don't belong here."

"I know, I'm just not ready for you to go just yet." Hermione wasn't sure what to say, her heart aching as she looked at the man sat beside her; he'd been through so much, both he and Remus had but she was finally starting to see the childish, happier side of Sirius Black that she had only ever heard about in the stories that Harry had told her.

She wasn't ready to say goodbye either.

Hermione hadn't been there for long but both of her relationships with Remus and Sirius had changed so much already. Sirius had always just been Harry's Godfather to her, a man that she had once helped save - but she had never got the chance to actually get to know what a brilliant man he was.

Remus she had known better, but always as her Professor even after she had left Hogwarts - she had never shared an evening with him in the library of Grimmauld Place until now and she most certainly had never had him fall asleep in her lap.

It hurt her how much she wanted to be able to save these men but she knew she couldn't and it broke her heart. Hermione hated the laws of time travel, cursing it for giving her a glimpse of the friendships that she could have had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of the comments and kudos so far! I apologise now that I have absolutely no chill when it comes to pace... yeaaaaah, I'm so sorry about that!


	5. Chapter 5

It was a long night as Hermione wandered the halls of Grimmauld Place, using her wand to light her way. The only problem with this was that she kept catching shadows out of the corner of her eye, her heart hammering in her chest even though most of the time the shadows amounted to nothing. It wasn't until Kreacher emerged from from one of those shadows and she very nearly shot a curse at him that she had to force herself to take a deep breath calm down before she seriously injured someone. 

Sirius had sought her out several times in the few hours that she had been looking for the attic, asking if she was done for the evening yet only for her to snap at him and send him away with his tail between his legs. He meant well and she knew that but he was truly starting to drive her insane. 

"Hermione," It was late when Remus finally appeared, slowly emerging from the darkness and into the light of the wand. He looked so much better already, the wonders of food and sleep doing him the world of good.

"You're looking so much better," She breathed in relief and he couldn't help but chuckle. 

"Thanks," He smiled, "You think it's time you gave up and went to bed?" Immediately Hermione frowned, putting her hands on her hips as she looked at him. 

"Did Sirius send you?" 

"It was a mutual decision. It's late Hermione and if we don't drag you to bed now then it's unlikely you'll ever go. You may not be the mother of my child but Moony is still close to the surface and he won't be impressed if we find you asleep in a corridor in the morning."

"You're using Moony as a way to try and coax me to bed?" She raised an eyebrow at him. 

"Just come on," Remus laughed, beckoning her to follow him. With a small sigh she resisted the urge to argue and followed him to Sirius' room. Sirius was lounging back on the bed but did a double take as soon as he saw the two of them. 

"You've got to be kidding, you listen to _him_ but not me?"

"Obviously I respect Remus more," Hermione winked, Remus grinning behind her. "Are you staying the night?" She asked, turning to find him still hovering in the doorway.

"No, I best be off-"

"Are you sure?" Hermione frowned, "There's plenty of beds and I can cook in the morning, make sure you get the nutrients you need."

"You sound like my mother-"

"Come on mate, just stay," Sirius said with a shrug, "you may as well make the most of Hermione's time here." Hermione missed the warning look Remus sent Sirius whilst she searched for her pyjamas. She found them when they were thrown at the back of her head by Sirius.

"I…" Remus paused, watching as she pulled her top off with her back to them. His eyes immediately trained on the scar on her hip, still pink and fresh from the battle.

"He's staying," Sirius confirmed with a grin as soon as he saw Remus' face.

"Good, now both of you turn around." Hermione pulled her bra and jeans off quickly, pulling on her pyjama bottoms and top before letting them know they could turn back around.

"Where am I sleeping?" Remus asked, ignoring the look on Sirius' face.

"Well none of the beds have been changed in months and frankly I cannot be bothered to go and sort one of the rooms out so you can just sleep in here with us." Remus stared at Sirius in frustration, trying to figure out what the hell he was playing at. They weren't teenagers anymore, they hadn't shared a bed in years - yet still, Remus didn't argue.

* * *

_Hermione walked into the great hall, her body aching and slow, Harry and Ron by her side. Her mouth was dry as if she hadn't drunk anything in days and she was about to comment on but then her eyes fell on the scene before her and she didn't care about her thirst anymore. The fallen were all laid out in rows before her, friends and loved ones surrounding them. An odd hush surrounded around her, the odd whisper or sob breaking through every once in a while  
_

_It wasn't long before she heard Ron's shout of 'no', her whole body going cold as she looked ahead to see all of the Weasleys huddled together over a body with bright red hair. She watched as Ron ran forward, leaving Harry with Hermione. Hermione tried to speak to Harry but her words muffled and incomprehensible, she then tried her hardest to get his attention but he wouldn't even look at her no matter how much she shouted and hit him. Through it all he just stared ahead of them, not responding in the slightest, his face expressionless._

_Finally she followed Harry's eyes and saw what he was seeing and then he finally spoke, the words loud and echoing around her, "Remus," He trembled, "no Remus, not you too."_

_Remus' body lay directly in front of them where their path had previously been clear. Hermione couldn't help but gasp, staggering backwards in shock; his body was crumpled as if no one had touched him or moved him since he had died. Then she saw that no one had even bothered to close his eyes and anguish suddenly took a hold of her at the indecency of it all.  
_

_She couldn't help but cry out, falling beside him, her knees smacking into the concrete. She clutched at his robes, screaming his name over and over again but no one else seemed to care. Everyone around them started to fade away, until finally it was just she, Harry and Remus left. Harry grabbed her then, suddenly shaking her shoulders and shouting-_

"Hermione! Hermione wake up!" She gasped sharply, her eyes darting through the darkness as she tried to figure out who it was that had woken her up. Her eyes finally settled on Remus above her, he looked just as panicked as she felt. 

"Oh God, Remus," She breathed, pushing herself up and wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. She wasn't aware that she was crying until a sob caught in her throat, her hold on him tightening. 

"It's okay, it's okay," He could feel her heart hammering in her chest and as he held her there he made a split decision not to overthink things and picked her up, promptly carrying her over to the bed that he and Sirius had been sharing. 

Remus placed her in the centre of the bed and watched as Sirius found her almost immediately and nuzzled into her shoulder with a half asleep mumble of her name. Carefully he followed suit, cocooning her between the two of them. Hermione couldn't imagine anywhere safer. Once her heart beat had slowed considerably, she turned over onto her side, burying her head into Sirius' chest whilst Remus curved his body tight against hers from behind.

* * *

 

When Hermione awoke the following morning everything felt so right with both Sirius and Remus' arms draped over her still, comforting weights. It took her a second to realise that Sirius was already awake and that it was his fingers lightly tracing over the scar on her hip.

"Morning," he whispered sleepily. A stream of light hit the bed, warming their bodies as the three of them lay entwined. Hermione turned her head towards Sirius, a sleepy smile gracing her lips.

"Good morning," she whispered back, trying not to move too much as Remus was still fast asleep, his face burrowed into the crook of her neck.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better." Sirius' fingers didn't cease tracing the skin of her hip and Hermione couldn't help but close her eyes with a small smile at the sensation. 

"Sirius, what's going on between us?" Hermione whispered, reluctantly opening her eyes and meeting his again. 

"I don't know kitten, it just feels right."

"Should we really be doing this?" She couldn't help but ask, Harry in the back of her mind. 

"We're not hurting anyone," He shrugged, "in fact I think it could be quite fun." He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Shut up," Hermione laughed before hitting him in the chest awkwardly with her free arm and subsequently managing to accidentally jolt Remus. She felt him move away from her, a muffled groan escaping him.

"Oh I'm so sorry," Hermione whispered turning her back on Sirius and meeting Remus' eyes that were still full of sleep.

"S'okay," He mumbled, forgetting himself in his half asleep state and burying himself into her chest. Hermione stilled and then she heard Sirius chuckle from behind her. She relaxed then, her arm wrapping around him, her fingers curling into his hair because this was just Remus after all, Remus who she cared about more and more as the days went on. Why should she push him away? Maybe Sirius was right, they really weren't hurting anyone after all. 

* * *

Eventually Hermione remembered that she had promised to cook breakfast for them and that if they wanted it at a reasonable time she was going to have to actually start moving soon. Lying in the bed with Sirius and Remus either side of her though meant that it took her a lot longer than it normally would have to find the will power to pull herself out of bed. She knew she had to move though so reluctantly she dragged herself from the bed, untwining herself from Remus who sleepily moaned in response.

* * *

Standing in the kitchen Hermione had decided to cook the muggle way, finding it a lot more relaxing and rewarding than if she were to have used magic. She hummed lightly to herself as she cooked the bacon, feeling perfectly content in that moment.

"Smells amazing," she glanced behind herself as Remus entered the kitchen, coming to stand beside her.

"You finally managed to get up then," Hermione teased, "is Sirius coming down?"

"He's in the shower, he won't be long." Hermione nodded, returning to her cooking as Remus started to search through the cupboards. She took note of how he started to make a pot of tea beside her, humouring her by also not using any magic either. She couldn't help but smile lightly at that, she doubted he even realised quite what the gesture meant to her.

"I understand if you don't want to talk about it but I must ask Hermione," He glanced to her and Hermione felt a stab of panic in her chest, "what was your nightmare about?"

She didn't exactly want to talk about it but she knew she should after what she had put him through that night.

"It was after the final battle," She breathed, looking at the bacon and avoiding his eyes, "It was just... it wasn't nice."

"Sirius had told me that you were having nightmares but I hadn't realised they were quite so... violent," He was looking at her, his eyes burning into her but she couldn't tell him, she couldn't bring herself to. 

"They're fine, I deal with them," Hermione said instead, "I hope Sirius hurries up, the foods nearly ready." She tried changing the subject to no avail.

"There are potions that can give you a dreamless sleep you know, I could get you some or show you how to brew it yourself for when you get home."

"Thanks Remus, I really appreciate that but i'm okay, I'm coping," She shrugged trying to make it seem like less of a big deal but he wasn't going to let it drop so easily. 

"But you're clearly not-"

"Remus please," Hermione finally said, turning to face him with tired eyes, "I really don't want to take potions. Honestly, I've tried them before and they left me feeling incredibly restless and I couldn't concentrate when I was awake. I have ways of coping."

"What ways?" He asked, not looking satisfied with her answer at all, "It might just be that whoever brewed the potion had done it incorrectly."

"Remus," Hermione groaned, "Please stop pushing this-"

"What are you two arguing about?" Hermione glanced to the doorway where Sirius was standing, still dripping wet with a bathrobe around his shoulders. 

"We're not arguing," both Hermione and Remus said at the same time which in turn made Hermione laugh lightly. 

"Right…" Sirius raised his eyebrows at them.

"Will you both please just go and sit at the table," Hermione said, thankful when they both actually listened to her as she started to plate their food up.

"Smells good kitten," Sirius grinned, eagerly accepting the plate that was full to the brim with sausages, beans, tomatoes, bacon, mushrooms and more.

"Well a promise is a promise, just don't get used to it," She took the seat next to Remus and across from Sirius, actually feeling quite content but it didn't take long for that to change.

"So..." Sirius started and straight away Hermione knew she was going to want to kill him for whatever next came out of his mouth, "...last night was cosy." She glanced up at him and shook her head slightly as he impaled an entire sausage on his fork before taking a huge bite out of it, all table manners lost. There was silence around the table before Remus finally spoke up with a sigh. 

"What are you doing Sirius?" Remus asked, raising his eyebrow at the man opposite him.

"I'm not doing anything," He laughed, "I'm just saying it was cosy. I'm looking forward to a repeat, that's all."

"Well I can't stay tonight so tough luck," Remus uttered.

"Why not?" It was Hermione's voice that surprised all three of them, Sirius not being able to hide his grin. She glanced between the two men and shrugged slightly, "It just... well it just makes sense to stay here seeing as you're spending all of your time here anyway, doesn't it?"

"Hermione-"

"Remus just stay already," Sirius said incredulously, watching Remus from across the table, "quit trying to think of excuses." Remus looked so torn as he looked at Sirius before finally giving in and shaking his head slightly with a sigh. 

"Okay, fine, I'll stay."

After that they fell into a comfortable silence, Sirius glancing at Hermione every once in a while, making over the top compliments about how good her cooking was, accompanied with with some exaggerated groans of happiness. It made her smile which is all he cared about.

Finally once they had all finished eating Hermione pushed her chair away from the table, "I'm going to look for the attic again, do you guys mind washing up?"

"No that's fine, we'll come find you later," Remus smiled, "thanks for cooking breakfast Hermione."

"Yeah, thanks Hermione!"

"You're welcome," She smiled before leaving them to it. Remus listened to her walk away before he turned on Sirius with a glare. 

"What are you trying to do?" He hissed, only for Sirius to shoot an innocent look his way.

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean," Remus spoke, lowering his voice, "this is Hermione, not some woman for you to play with."

"I'm well aware it's Hermione, Moony. What you seem to be forgetting is that this isn't _our_ Hermione though."

"You're infuriating-"

"Maybe you need to stop seeing her as the 16 year old she used to be and instead as the adult she actually is right here, right now. I mean you didn't seem to have any problem this morning when you-"

"Sirius you don't seem to be considering how much of a mess this could make!"

"How?" Sirius asked flatly, "Seriously, how?"

"You're messing with time travel-"

"No. No matter what we do, when Hermione goes back to her time we're both already dead," Remus winced, "and here, well here no one needs to know as long as you can keep Moony in check every time our Hermione is around." Remus sighed, placing his head in his hands as he considered what Sirius had just said. He wanted to just go along with what he was saying but his conscience was telling him that it wasn't a good idea. 

Sirius sighed, "Look we're all consenting adults here, there's no harm in just seeing where this goes. This is  _Hermione_ , not just some witch. I mean it might not even go anywhere!" Remus looked up at him before leaning back in his chair. 

"Okay," Remus finally uttered, rubbing his shoulder, "okay, but if she tells us to back off at all you don't even hesitate, you understand?"

"Of course," Sirius grinned.

* * *

Hermione hummed to herself, her mind on anything but the attic as she walked through the halls of Grimmauld Place. She was starting on the top floor, wandering from room to room, trying her hardest not to get distracted every time she saw something of interest. 

She vaguely knew all of the rooms from her various stays in the house over the past few years but some of them she had never explored properly and at times she couldn't help but feel like she was intruding. She couldn't help but admit that she admired Grimmauld Place and it's almost regal characteristics. It was nothing like the Burrow which she admired in an entirely different way, it was more that Grimmauld Place filled her more with a morbid curiosity.

She silently wondered what it would've been like for Sirius to grow up as a child in such a harsh environment and how easy it would've been for him to go down a different path altogether. Her mind was pulled away from that thought though as she entered one of the bedrooms and realised immediately that it was the room that Fred and George had been staying in. She sat on one of the beds and looked around at the quidditch posters, smiling at the fact that they had managed to make the room their own even though at that point they hadn't stayed at Grimmauld Place that often. Hermione realised with a stab just how much she missed the Weasleys.

"Hermione?"

"In here," She called back, listening to Remus' footsteps echo down the hall, getting closer and closer before he appeared in the doorway, hands on his hips as he looked at her sternly.

"Hermione Granger." She misjudged his tone as playful and couldn't help but laugh, thinking he was joking.

"Yes Remus?"

"I was going through your notes and the books that you brought back from the library..." He started and immediately it hit her that he wasn't joking.

"Oh…" The smile fell from her face.

"Why did you wander Hermione? Anyone could've seen you!" He raised his voice and immediately she felt guilty, he was genuinely upset about this.

"I'm sorry, I just wasn't getting anywhere in that room." Remus didn't say anything further, he just seemed to be searching her eyes for something. "It helped me find what could be the answer though," She finally said and this seemed to pull him back out of his thoughts. 

"You still should've waited for me though," he stressed.

"I know and I'm sorry that I didn't, but what's done has been done and no harm came from it."

"You know you can just go running around-" 

"I know Remus, I know," Hermione breathed, standing from the bed and stepping towards him, "and I won't do it again, I swear."

"I just... I expected better of you Hermione," The way he was looking at her was odd, Hermione couldn't quite place the expression and that's when it hit her that something else was playing on his mind. 

"I'm sorry Remus," She said carefully, "I'm not sure what else I can say no besides I'm sorry." He was silent for a second before sighing and shaking his head. He rubbed the scruff on his chin, his eyebrows furrowed. 

"Shit, I'm sorry Hermione, I didn't mean to come across so harshly-"

"It's fine, don't worry about it. What's on your mind?" Remus watched her for a second before rubbing his eyes tiredly and glancing back at the door. 

"Nothing, nothing."

"Remus," Hermione rose her eyebrows at him before reaching forward and taking his hand in hers. She gently lead him over to the bed where they both sat, Hermione releasing his hand.

"You can tell me what's on your mind," Hermione leaning into his side and he couldn't help but wrap his arm around her, taking comfort at her being so close to him.

"You're so different from the girl I saw last and that unnerves me," He admitted and Hermione tensed. 

"A lot has happened," Hermione whispered, "You should know better than anyone to not dwell on the past."

"Your past... my future."

"Remus," Hermione groaned lightly, pulling away from him so that she could look at him properly, "What's done is done, you can't change what is going to happen." 

"I feel like I should at least try though."

"I'm fine, I survived and well a lot of people didn't," she swallowed thickly, trying not to let her emotions get the better of her, "so I'm just thankful for that."

"I saw your scars, and you were talking in your sleep last night," Hermione sighed, "I know at least a little of what you've been through."

"It's over now, I'm fine, I'm healing," he searched her eyes, concern growing in him as she started to tear up, "Seriously I'm healing, and you and Sirius are a huge part of that right now. I feel safer here right now with you two than I have in a long time."

Remus didn't say anything, he simply pulled her back into him, wrapping his arms around her tightly. They sat like that for some time until Remus finally spoke again, "We're going to get through this together. We both need you just as much as you need us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it took me so long to upload this, the past few months have been insane! Thank you for all of your support guys!


	6. Chapter 6

It had taken some persuasion but Hermione had managed to talk Sirius around to her searching the house for a couple of days longer. He grumbled and groaned that it was a waste of time but she just argued that there wouldn't be any harm in her at least trying. Three days she searched and whilst she was growing more and more weary as each day passed she was too stubborn to admit to Sirius that perhaps he had been right on this occasion.

Whilst she wouldn’t let Sirius search with her he did insist on at least bringing her cups of tea and food throughout the day and honestly Hermione appreciated the sentiment. Remus on the other hand wasn’t able to stick around much in the daytime and he often disappeared to various meetings but without fail he made sure he returned every evening, the three of them then curling up together allowing Hermione to fall asleep easily between the two men. She silently wondered how she was ever going to get used to life without them again once she returned to her own time - it was a toxic thought though and it was one that left her feeling queasy so she was forced to try and distract herself when it popped into her head.

Hermione practiced basic spells to keep her mind occupied as it was didn’t take long for her to get bored of searching. She spent an hour or so in a room at a time whilst she searched every nook and cranny just in case she came across anything of significance. So far she had found nothing though. It was a dangerous game though; the house was filled with a lot of questionable items from when Sirius’ mother had lived there and often Hermione found herself hesitating before she touched anything, hyper aware of the fact that she was likely here because of that woman.

Currently she sat in what had once been the Black’s study. She sifted through paperwork curiously, open drawer after drawer, pushing nicknacks aside. Sirius father had clearly been the one to dominate this room, his monogram on a lot of the letters and stationary in there. It wasn’t until she got to the bottom drawer that she paused at what she found, her eyebrows raising slightly; Sirius’ and Regulus’ Hogwarts letters.

It honestly surprised her to find them, Orion must have kept them for a reason and whilst Hermione had never considered the Blacks to be sentimental she was starting to question whether she had been wrong.

“What have you found?” Hermione looked up in surprise to find Sirius in the doorway, a sandwich and a cup of tea in hand. He eyed the room with apprehension before entering and putting the food and drink on the desk. He leant back against the desk, his arms folded across his chest as he looked down at what was in her hand.

“Your Hogwarts letter.”

“Oh,” Sirius said, his tone even. He took it out of her hand and paced slightly as he turned it over, his eyes scanning the words, “I’m amazed my motheidn’t burn it the second I was sorted into Gryffindor.” He uttered before passing it back to her. “Muggleborns receive theirs via a teacher don’t they?”

“Yes, Professor Sprout delivered mine.” 

“Will you tell me about it? Like how were told, how you reacted?” Sirius asked as he leant back against the desk again.

“Sure,” She took the mug of tea in her hands as she leant back, “I had just got home from netball practice and my mum was cooking tea-”

“Wait, wait,” Sirius interrupted with a frown, “what the hell is netball?”

“It’s a muggle sport, I was terrible at it but my mum had insisted I join the team as my friend had,” Hermione smiled in amusement, “Dad had just got home from work and he ended up walking up the drive at the same time as Professor Sprout. She hadn’t bothered with any muggle attire so you can imagine my dad’s confusion, right?” Hermione breathed out a small laugh, “We couldn’t believe it when she told me that I was a witch, it just made no sense, my dad honestly thought she was crazy. It wasn’t until she started to point out all of the strange things I had been doing recently that my parents calmed down and actually listened. It’s a very strange feeling to have your world turned upside down like that. It’s mind blowing really.” She fell silent as she moved her fingers up and down the side of the mug, Sirius watching her and she became lost in thought. 

“And then you met Harry and Ron?” He finally asked when he couldn’t handle the silence any longer. 

“Yeah… they didn’t really like me at first though,” she admitted, “I suppose I was a bit overbearing, I just didn’t want do anything wrong, it was all so exciting and I didn’t want to miss any of it,” She admitted, thinking back to her first year and how scared she had been that it would all be taken away from her if she wasn’t good enough. “What was your first day like?” She picked up the plate and started picking at the sandwich. 

"Oh I imagine it was a bit different to yours," he chuckled, "I met James on the train, I was pranking my cousins at the time and he asked if he could help. Obviously I agreed," Sirius winked at her and she smiled.

"When did you meet Remus?"

"Once I'd been sorted into Gryffindor. We were at the table and I asked Remus about his scars-"

"Wow you have no shame," Hermione laughed.

"Yeah, well no point in beating around the bush, I was a curious kid. He told me some bullshit about having an accident as a kid - he stuttered so bad that I knew straight away that it was bullshit. I just didn’t know why.”

"You scared the hell out of me," Hermione looked up to find Remus in the doorway - he had been in out all morning and looked so tired and weary. "Dumbledore had told me that no one would ask."

"Well he obviously hadn't expected a young Mr Black to be so forward."

"I just don't think he expected me to be near you at all. There were a lot of people that were surprised that I was sorted into Gryffindor."

"Remus come and sit down," Hermione beckoned but he shook his head.

"I'm going to get something to eat in a minute."

"I'll make you something mate, you sit down and I'll be back in a second."

"Thanks," Remus breathed. He still had his coat on as he took Sirius’ place and leant back against the desk,

"Tough morning?" She asked softly and he simply nodded. Hermione put her plate down and stood up. Remus opened his arms slightly and she sighed as she leant into him, wrapping her arms around him and placing her head against his chest. He closed his eyes and leant his head against hers with a content sigh.

"What happened?"

"Job interview."

"Oh," She uttered in surprise, "I take it it didn't go well?"

"No. People tend to put two and two together - the long breaks in work, the fact that I haven't kept a job long, the scars."

"You could go back to Hogwarts?"

"Umbridge."

"Right," Hermione sighed, "You'll find something soon enough though, you’re an intelligent man," She listened to his faint heartbeat through the layers of clothes and it had such a calming effect on her, "Have you thought about going for a muggle job?"

"Yeah," Remus spoke, "The issue comes the day after the change, I need to recover and it's just not possible. As soon as people in the wizarding world hear 'werewolf' they tend to freak out and even muggles catch on that something isn't quite right with me,  _ they  _ just can't put their fingers on it."

"It angers me how prejudiced people are; you are anything but a monster Remus."

"Don't worry about it Hermione, I'm used to this by now."

"You shouldn't have to be-" Hermione felt him tense suddenly, his hold on her tightening slightly and immediately her back went up too, "What's wrong?"

"Someone's here," Hermione shifted and gave him some room as he moved away from the desk before looking back at Hermione, mentally going over their options.

"I'm going to go down and make sure Sirius has got this in hand," he finally decided, "meet me in the living room and we'll floo to my place, okay?”

"Okay," Hermione’s heart was hammering in her chest as she thought of the consequences of if she was caught by whoever was downstairs.

She quickly and silently hurried down the hall to their bedroom. Pulling on a jumper and her shoes, she held her wand tightly, edging towards the stairs, trying to be as quiet as possible. She could hear a faint conversation floating up from the kitchen as she edged down the staircase. She was careful not to step on any of the unforgiving floorboards that she, Harry and Ron had discovered when trying to sneak around.

"Remus! What a pleasant surprise!" She could hear Mr Weasley exclaim and she breathed a sigh of slight relief at the fact it was only him.

"Arthur it's good to see you, you're looking better," Remus greeted breezily, "I was actually just leaving, I was just collecting some books from Sirius and I really must be on my way."

"Oh are you sure you can't stay? I was just discussing Hogwarts with Sirius."

"I'm afraid not, I've got some important business to take care of." Hermione stood in the entrance of the living room, listening, wishing he'd hurry up.

"Oh well I'm sure we'll catch up another day."

"Yes of course,"

"Did you find the books?" Sirius asked.

"They're in the living room, I'll take them with me and have them back by tonight."

"Alright, I'll see you later," Hermione listened as Remus said goodbye to Mr Weasley. Standing against the wall she breathed a sigh of relief as he finally stepped into the room, closing the door quickly behind himself.

"Ready?" He asked and she nodded. "264b Aberstole Road, London," Hermione repeated it back to him and he nodded, gently pushing her towards the fireplace.

Grabbing a handful of the green powder she kept her eyes trained on Remus, throwing the powder down and saying his address clearly. Her stomach twisted and her body trembled before a second later Hermione entered Remus’ fireplace. She stumbled out, tripping on the grate before she heard the rush of air behind her. She quickly righted herself and turned to see Remus ducking out of the fireplace.

"Sorry, should've warned you about that - the first time Sirius came he ended up face first in the coffee table." Remus wiped some soot from her cheek, smiling at her.

"I'd like to think I'm a bit more graceful than him at least," she laughed lightly, wiping some soot from her jumper as well. "So, this is where you live," Hermione smiled, turning to look at the apartment, suddenly being reminded of Remus' office at Hogwarts with the amount of books and curious looking objects that were dotted around. 

"It's nothing special - it's cheap and the landlord keeps his nose out as long as I pay my rent on time."

"Is it muggle?"

"Yeah," Remus looked uncomfortable as he watched her look around with a small smile.

"I love it," She breathed, "it's so cosy." Remus let out a laugh at that, raising his eyebrows at her.

"You're sweet Hermione."

"No really, it's so  _ you _ … all of the books," she gestured at the bookcase which covered the entire back wall, "the warmth, the trinkets - it's wonderful." He shook his head at her, clearly not seeing what she was.

Hermione made her way over to his sofa, settling down into its warmth she looked around herself, trying to take all of the details in. Remus sat in the armchair beside her and she could feel the tension radiating from him as he watched her look around. He was so uncomfortable at having her in his flat - which she couldn’t help but think was ridiculous. It was nice at least to have a little bit of a break from searching Grimmauld Place and she wanted to make the most of it in a way.

“What do you think Sirius is up to?” Hermione asked, turning her attention to Remus. He looked at her for a second, studying her face before he finally smiled at her. 

“Once Arthur’s gone he’ll have the house to himself for a bit… so you probably don’t want to know what he’ll be up to.”   
  
"Thanks for that image," Hermione flushed slightly and she couldn’t help but notice how Remus diverted his eyes and a silence fell between them. If Arthur hadn’t turned up she could still be stood with her arms wrapped around hin, offering him some kind of comfort. It felt too out of place now though. Like there was some kind of unspoken barrier that Remus had put back up. It was a little frustrating if she was going to be honest and Hermione couldn’t help but want to break that wall back down again.

“We should go for a walk,” Hermione suggested and Remus finally looked at her again, his expression unreadable, “I haven’t been out in almost a week and I think I’m going to go stir crazy soon,” She tried to joke but both of them were hyper aware of the fact that Sirius most likely felt exactly the same way, if not worse. 

“It’s raining,” Remus finally said in response, “we’ll get soaked.” Hermione couldn’t help but laugh at that, she had had enough. She stood up and stood in front of him, holding her hand out to him expectantly.

"I hadn't realised you were made of sugar Professor.”

"Don't call me that," Remus groaned, taking her hand and letting her pull him up.

"Why not?" She frowned.

"Makes me feel like a dirty old pervert," he grumbled just as he stuck his head into the cupboard in the corner as he looked for an umbrella. Hermione turned and stared at his back as he searched, stunned at his words. She had noticed that he had a way of doing this, speaking down about himself and she hated it. Afterall, Hermione had met a lot of men in the past few years and she could honestly say that nothing about Remus was dirty or old or perverted. 

"You speak so highly of yourself," Hermione said sarcastically. She made a rash decision as she gently placed her hand upon his arm, successfully getting his attention and pulling him away from the cupboard he had had his head stuck in, an umbrella now in his hand .

"You are not old," she said plainly, meeting his eyes as she stepped closer to him.

"Hermione-" There was a warning in his voice though he wasn’t quite sure what he was warning her about at this moment. 

"You are not dirty. And you most definitely are not perverted." He stared at her, his mouth dry. There was a lot her wanted to say but he knew he would regret it. Hermione placed her hand over his heart, “You’re an incredible man Remus, don’t you dare think otherwise.” Hermione held her breath for a second, her heart racing before she reached up and pulled his head down to hers and for the first time she realised the substantial height difference between them. She kissed him softly, Remus hesitating and almost jerking back before he gave in to her. 

Hermione smiled as she heard the thud of the umbrella hitting the floor, his arms wrapping around her small frame and holding her to him almost possessively. It felt so good, and most importantly it felt right. She let out a small moan and the hand that had made its way into her hair suddenly stilled. Remus broke the kiss and pulled away from her, Hermione not being able to keep the smile at bay; her eyes sparkling and her hair crackling lightly with magic.   


Remus searched her face for some kind of disgust and when he couldn't find it he knew that Sirius had been right; this truly wasn't the Hermione that they knew, this was a very different Hermione indeed. "We should go for that walk," he breathed, not sure he could contain himself if he kissed her again.

"Yeah, we probably should," Hermione agreed, trying her hardest not to just kiss him again. She picked up the umbrella instead though and silently followed Remus as he headed for the door.

* * *

 

They wandered aimlessly, Remus leading the way and holding the umbrella over their heads. Hermione didn't recognise the area though she was surprised that he hadn't taken residence closer to Sirius - she supposed it was due to his furry little problem. They talked and walked, time passing quickly until Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, shivering as the night drew in. The rain didn’t stop the entire time  they were out but as there wasn’t any wind it was actually quite atmospheric and Hermione found that she couldn’t complain. There weren’t many people about either as they walked through the estates, even the children were missing from the playgrounds that would’ve usually been bustling with activity on a sunny day.

“We should probably head back soon,” Hermione finally spoke up as she started to recognise her surroundings again, “Sirius will be wondering where we got to.” 

"Well there’s a small cafe near mine, shall we head there, grab something for us and Sirius and then head back?"

"Sounds like a plan," Hermione smiled, following his lead as he lead them back to a street that she immediately recognised as one they had walked down earlier. She spotted the cafe immediately, the bright blue front making it stand out from a mile away. The bell jingled as they entered and Remus left his umbrella by the door, warmth immediately flooding them both. They picked a table beside a large radiator and Hermione took a seat, rubbing her hands together. She hadn’t quite realised how cold she had been outside but now her hands felt like ice.

"Tea?

"Yes please." She watched as his eyes flickered down to her lips before flicking back up to her eyes almost immediately.

"What do you want to eat?"

"I'll just have what you're having." He nodded and headed for the counter and she watched as he pulled a wallet from his trouser pocket. .

"Remus!" Hermione watched as a young woman left the kitchen, her face brightening considerably as she saw Remus standing there. She wiped her hands on her apron before folding her arms across her full chest."I haven't seen you in a while, where have you been?"

"Working away," he lied easily, giving her a small smile, "how are you Marcie?"

"I'm really good - did you want the usual?" Hermione couldn’t help but smile slightly as she watched the woman unfold her arms and unconsciously lean forward on the counter towards Remus.

"No, actually could I have two teas and three of your wonderful ham salad rolls to go? We’re just sat over there," Remus gestured over at Hermione and Marcie’s eyes met Hermione's then. Immediately she straightened up, putting some distance between them, her smile never dropped though.

"Oh, of course, that’s just £9.00.” She accepted his money and put it in the till, “I'll bring them over in a second."

"Thanks Marcie." 

"She's quite smitten with you, you know?" Hermione grinned as Remus came back over to her, dropping into the chair opposite her.

"Who is?" He frowned.

"Marcie," Hermione laughed, "she's into you Remus."

"No,” Remus couldn’t help but smile, “You're mistaken Hermione," he looked at her incredulously, before leaning back in his chair. 

"You're blind." He rolled his eyes at that just as Marcie brought their mugs over, both Hermione and Remus thanking her.

"Well I'm guessing you're not seeing anyone?" Hermione asked, a small smile gracing her lips as she looked over her mug at him. Remus paused and frowned as he considered her. He scratched the scruff on his chin before shaking his head at her.

"We are not having this conversation."

"I'm just curious, she seems nice."

"Hermione-"

"Remus," she pointedly looked at him, knowing what was going through his head as his eyes inadvertently flicked down to her lips again, "no matter what happens between me, you and Sirius, I'll be going home eventually. I'm well aware of that." He nodded slightly and looked down at his mug of tea. "I just want you to be happy,” She admitted softly, “You deserve to be happy Remus.”

"I've met someone and had a child in your time Hermione; I imagine I'm happy then."

"That may be so but how are you ever going to get the chance to get to know this future wife of yours when you refuse to see anyone in any way other than a friend." He looked at her pointedly and she rolled her eyes, "I do not count, I'm leaving eventually, I'm basically a ghost." He knew she was right but he didn’t want to admit it.

"Let's not talk about that right now," he said and Hermione just gave him a small reluctant nod in response, knowing she didn’t have any other choice than to give in if he was going to put his walls back up. 

"What are your plans once you go back?" He asked, changing the topic back to her.

"I'm not too sure, we're all still recovering at the minute. I want to help in the rebuilding of Hogwarts and then hopefully return as I never got the chance to do my seventh year."

"And then after that?"

"I was thinking of applying for a position in the department for the regulation and control of magical creatures. I'm not sure yet though, I'll need to get the necessary NEWTs first."

"Hermione you will excel in your NEWTs," Remus couldn't help but laugh, "I still hold that you're the brightest witch of your age."

"I don't know," she said softly, looking down into her tea, "it's been a hard year... it has kind of affected my abilities."

"How so?"

"After the battle I just felt so drained, like usually I can feel it in my fingertips or feel it pulsing in my wand, but after the battle that had gone and I just struggled to successfully cast the smallest of spells. I mean i’m getting back to normal now but it’s slow going and I’m not completely sure I’ll have the same kind of strength as I did before. I’ve read about it and it’s normal but I’m just worried really.” 

"Are Harry and Ron the same?"

"Ron seems to be recovering quicker than I am and Harry... well Harry is just on another level of exhaustion," she thought back to the times she had brought soup up for Ginny and Harry in the past month, the youngest Weasley close to tears as she told Hermione how he had hardly shown any change again.

"He'll be okay," Remus covered her hand with his, giving her a soft smile. "And so will you. You’ll all get there in the end, it’s just going to take time."

"It's just so hard,” She admitted, distracting herself by linking her fingers with his, “There are so many other things we need to doing but we’ve been forced to grind to a halt," Hermione breathed, fiddling with the ring on Remus' middle finger as she thought of Tonks and Teddy, "your son," She whispered distractedly, "Molly and I have been looking after him as Harry just isn't in any state to right now. I mean he’s barely got the energy to stay awake longer than a few hours at a time.” A silence settled between them and Hermione sniffed, her eyes still on Remus’ hand in her. “But I guess you’re right, I guess he will get there eventually.” 

"So his mother is going to die as well?" Hermione took a sharp intake of breath as she suddenly realised what she had said and the implications of it. She looked up and met Remus' hard stare, the mood changing immediately.

"Remus…" Hermione swallowed thickly, "I shouldn't have told you any of that."  She pulled her hands from Remus'. The mood had changed drastically. 

"When I go back, you have to forget what I've told you," Hermione said, a slight panic rising in her. She had heard the stories, she knew how Remus could get and now she had given him an even better reason to hide away and stay away from anyone that tried to get close to him. 

"How am I supposed to do that Hermione?" Remus asked aghast.

"You and Sirius, you could obliviate each other." Hermione said in a rush and Remus raised his eyebrows at her.

“Are you serious?” He asked and when she nodded he shook his head at her in shock, “Merlin Hermione, why would you even suggest something like that?”

“It’s the only way-”

“The only way?” He repeated with raised eyebrows, “That spells is so ridiculously dangerous if cast incorrectly and that’s without taking into consideration that it’s completely unnecessary!” Hermione’s throat constricted as she thought of her parents and she couldn’t help but feel defensive, an anger rising in her at Remus’ reaction. 

"Well sometimes it is necessary Remus," the way she suddenly hissed his name made his eyes flash amber for a second as he tried to keep his anger under control.

"When? When is it necessary?" He challenged but Hermione bit her tongue, not ready to admit what she had done to her parents, not when he was being like this. 

"Now!" She almost shouted at him before reminding herself that she needed to keep her voice down as a man in the corner glanced at the unlikely pair over the top of his newspaper - Hermione was at least thankful that Marcie was still in the kitchen. "If I go back and everything has changed because you now know too much, I would never be able to live with myself Remus."

"I think it's time we left," He snapped as Marcie left the kitchen with their sandwiches all wrapped up and ready. 

* * *

 

They side-along disapparated to Grimmauld Places' doorstep, Hermione's lips tight in anger, Remus' mood just as foul. Both of them were soaked, Hermione not having bothered waiting for Remus to grab the umbrella as they exited the cafe, Remus only just having time to grab the sandwiches from Marcie.

Hermione opened the door and stepped into the hall, about to storm towards the kitchen when the Remus’ grip on her arm stopped her. She looked back at him with raised eyebrows.

"We don't mention this to Sirius," he stated as she pulled her arm out of his grip.

"I bloody well am," she bit back at him, "he, at least, will listen."

"Maybe you should try listening to me for once instead," Remus growled and Hermione turned on him then, her hair crackling with magic in an entirely different way to before.

"I do!" She raised her voice in frustration, "I respect you Remus, I respect your opinion! But I feel like you're still treating me as if I’m one of your students - which is ridiculous all things considering!"

"Hermione?" She heard Sirius call.

"You may be older than me but I am not a child anymore!"

"You two starting another war?" Sirius asked as he stepped into the hall, cautiously looking between the two of them and taking in the fire in both of their eyes. "Everything okay?"

"Just peachy," Hermione hissed, pushing past him and into the living room. She stood by the fire, shivering slightly as she ripped her soaked jumper off, throwing it over one of wooden chairs. She could hear a muttered exchange between Remus and Sirius before the latter followed her through.

"Kitten, what's wrong?" Sirius asked carefully. She leant her hands on the chair, trying to calm herself down before looking at the man of the house and the small, worried, smile he was offering her.

"That man is insufferable," she growled and Sirius raised his eyebrows.

"What happened?"

"Nothing," Remus answered curtly as he entered the room, flicking his wand at Hermione, her hair drying instantly. Hermione had honestly been trying to bite her tongue but the warning look Remus was giving her pushed her over the edge. 

"I've told you both too much, and now, if you two don't obliviate your memories of all of this," she gestured around herself wildly before pointing at Remus, "he's going to fuck up everything."

"How is stopping people from dying fucking everything up?" Remus shouted, going to step towards her but Sirius stood in the way, giving him a silent warning. "I am not going to stand by and let that happen!"

"You can't change the timeline!" Hermione shouted back in frustration. 

"Hermione-" Sirius tried to interrupt but at the sound of his voice she turned on him as well.

“Don’t Sirius!”

"I can't just let her die, Hermione!" Remus growled and finally Sirius was starting to understand what this was all about. Hermione was in front of Remus before Sirius could stop her, the two of them burning with anger as they looked at one another. 

"It isn't like that," She was just getting more and more frustrated as she looked up at Remus, he just wasn’t listening, “If you two don’t get together you affect so many other events. This isn’t just about you! It’s about the bigger picture!

"Everyone I love dies-"

"You have no right to play that game,” She shook out, her fists clenched at her sides before she rubbed her face hard, “You are not the only person to have lost people in this war Remus. You can't just bring everyone back, it doesn’t work like that and you know it."

"Why should I lead her to her death Hermione? Give me one good reason," Remus growled, his voice low. 

"Because you deserve to be happy!" She burst out, hitting his chest in frustration, "you both do! And even if you do refuse to be with her she'll still be fighting in that battle, she wouldn't have missed it for the world!” Hermione was crying hard; Tonks hadn’t deserved to die, but Hermione knew that with or without Remus she would have been at the battle because that was just who she was; she was a fighter.

Sirius was watching the two of them apprehensively, ready to step in if he had to. He honestly hadn’t expected this when he had heard the door open.

"She saved you Remus! After Sirius died you were destroying yourself and she saved you!"

"I'm touched mate," Sirius said and Remus glared at him. 

"We wouldn't have won the battle without you, we need you there. You can’t not be with her Remus, it's your destiny,” She breathed, roughly wiping at her eyes. Remus wasn’t sure what to say, his heart aching as he looked at the woman before him.

"That may be so Hermione," Sirius said carefully, "But I have to agree that obliviating someone's memories is a rash decision," Sirius said softly and carefully but she didn’t hesitate as she turned on him now, full of defensive anger.

"It is when you don't have a choice!" She cried out, covering her face with her hands, her whole body shaking with her tears and suddenly Sirius understood.

"Who? Who did you obliviate?" He asked softly and Remus' eyes shot up to Sirius' as it suddenly hit him as well. Stepping forward Sirius wrapped his arms around her and all of the fight drained from her.

"My parents," she whispered, "I had no choice," He wrapped his arms tight around her and she burrowed into his chest, "I had no choice."

"There's always a choice-"

"Moony!" Sirius snapped but it was too late. Hermione ripped out of Sirius hold and lashed out again. 

"How is there?” She shouted angrily, “You think I like the fact that my parents don’t know who I am? You think that was an easy choice to make? I was being hunted Remus! I had no choice!" She stood in front of Remus, her whole body shaking. 

"There are safe houses-"

"Nowhere was safe! My parents are muggles, they couldn't have protected themselves against one death eater let alone three if they had found them! I was not taking that risk you arsehole!"

"Hermione-" Remus went to speak again but she cut him off by pushing at his chest hard, the wolf barely moving in response.

"Fuck, you," she punctuated each word with a shove, "you absolutely bastard!" The two of them watching as she stormed out of the room. Remus went to go after her but Sirius caught his arm.

"Don't," he spoke, his voice tired, his lips set in a tight line, "let her calm down, wait until she comes to us."

"Obliviating someone is never the answer, you agree right?" Remus asked and Sirius sighed heavily.

"Just drop it Moony, she's been through a lot."

* * *

Hermione was livid and wanted more than ever to have someone to talk to that wasn't one of the Marauders. She hid away in their bedroom, trying to figure a way to sort out the mess she had created. In her head she just kept going around in circles, anger bursting through her everytime she thought of Remus' accusing words. With a sigh she gave up, heading to the bathroom in an aid to distract herself. Searching through the cupboards she found a couple of sparkling, half empty bottles, recognising them to be of the kind of potion that she had often found in the Weasley's bathroom at the Burrow.

She ran the taps, the water filling the tub quickly as she poured a shot of each potion into the water. She wasn't too sure what effect they were going to have on her, not having actually asked Ginny what the potions had been for at the Burrow but still, she figured that they wouldn't cause her to sprout an extra limb or anything nasty at least. The water reached the top of the ornamental freestanding tub in no time, Hermione peeling her clothes off before sinking into the heat.

Immediately she let out a sigh of relief, her body tingling as she submerged herself completely, her hair floating on the surface and swirling around her. With every sigh she released she felt herself calm down substantially until she finally just lay there, blissfully floating. Remus' words kept playing on her mind and whilst she couldn't manage to keep an angry thought in her head for longer than a millisecond the thought still kept coming back to her. She knew the three of them were going to have to talk about it at some point if she ever wanted to move on .

Hermione wasn't sure how long she stayed in the bath but she knew it was probably time to get out once her fingers started to turn pruney. All of her negative energy had floated away from her now and all she was left with was a blissful tingling throughout her entire being. As she climbed out of the tub she smiled at a memory that rose to the forefront of her mind from her childhood. It was a little fuzzy but she knew it was real as she recalled her mother wrapping her in a large fluffy towel after her bath. She called Hermione her little prune before Hermione shook her hair out, spraying them with droplets of water as her mother screamed and laughed. Hermione dried herself as she thought about it, a small smile gracing her lips. Sirius' large fluffy black dressing gown hung on the back of the door and Hermione didn't hesitate as she wrapped it around herself, sighing as his familiar scent surrounded her and the incredible softness of the gown caressed her skin.

Padding down the hallway she walked straight past the bedroom and headed downstairs for the living room instead. Both Remus and Sirius stared at her apprehensively as she stepped into the room, relief spreading through her when they saw she was a hell of a lot calmer now. Sirius’ eyes flicked from her bare legs to her face as he caught a sweet smell and immediately recognised it as one of the potions he often used to relax when Azkaban was plaguing him. He didn’t say a word as Hermione walked around the sofa and dropped onto it beside him, immediately snuggling into his side.

The room was pleasantly quiet as she closed her eyes. Sirius wrapping his arm around her shoulder whilst holding his book in his other hand. Remus eyed his friend and watched as he played with her hair, his fingers lightly tickling the nape of her neck. He shook his head slightly at him but Sirius just rolled his eyes in response. Hermione shifted, lying down properly and placing her head in Sirius' lap with a contented sigh as he lightly traced shapes on her skin. All was calm and still.

* * *

 

It was with a jerk that Hermione awoke, feeling like she was falling, her heart racing. She shot her hand out and grabbed the nearest thing that she could before looking around blearily and releasing Remus' jumper from her death grip when she realised she was in his arms.

"It’s just me, we’re going to bed," he spoke softly. She mumbled something incoherently in response, sleep still heavy in her eyes as they slipped shut again, her hand resting against his heart.

"She awake?" Sirius asked, turning back to look at Remus.

"She was - I think she's gone back to sleep," Remus whispered, being extra careful not to jolt her again. Sirius held the door open for them before watching as his friend lay Hermione carefully in the center of the bed.

"That witch is going to be the death of me," Sirius uttered, glancing to her as she moaned softly in her sleep.

"Yeah… she may get rid of you before your time if we’re lucky."

"It’s a good thing it’s not me that she’s pissed off with then mate." Sirius uttered cockily as he changed slowly, watching as Remus did the same before crawling onto the bed, careful not to knock her.

"She's not going to break if you touch her Moony," he commented heading over to the bed himself and making no effort to be careful in his movements at all as he heavily dropped onto the mattress beside her, successfully stirring Hermione.

"Remus?" She spoke, half asleep, her eyes meeting his blearily as Sirius placed his hand on her gown covered hip from behind her.

"Go back to sleep Hermione," Remus spoke softly, lying down beside her.

"But we need to talk," she whispered sleepily, her voice as soft as silk.

"We can talk in the morning, you need to sleep now."

"Okay, okay… Professor…" Hermione grinned sleepily, Sirius letting out a laugh at the pissed look that Remus now wore.

"Sorry," Hermione let out a breathy laugh before reaching for Remus' head, "couldn't resist," she pulled him gently into a sleepy kiss. Sirius raised his eyebrows in surprise, it looked like she had taken his advice after all. He barely managed to suppress a groan as he watched the two of them, his hand tightening on her hip as he suddenly became hyper aware of just how naked she was under that damn dressing gown.

Hermione finally broke the kiss, Remus meeting Sirius' eyes and immediately seeing the hunger in him. Remus was about to shake his head at his friend as now was not the time for him to act on his impulses but before he had the chance to Sirius had pulled her hip towards him so that she was on her back, Hermione looking up at him in surprise.

"You’re a bloody tease, you know that?" He purred, all of the humour gone from his voice as Hermione sleepily looked up at him, a quirk of a smile on her lips.

“You’re an idiot,” she smiled before pulling him down to her. He didn’t hesitate in kissing her harder than Remus had, her hand tangled in his hair. She moaned lightly before sleepily biting his bottom lip.

"Padfoot," Remus spoke, watching as his hand slipped inside the dressing gown, resting on her bare stomach. This seemed to bring Hermione back down to earth, gently pushing Sirius back, his lips still hovering over hers.

"Sleep," she commanded and Sirius couldn't help but grin, lowering his lips to her neck. He kissed the exposed skin there and she couldn’t help but sigh contently.

"You sure you want to sleep?" Sirius said and then met Remus' eyes. He reached over Hermione and took a hold of a Remus’ hand, promptly placing it where his own had been on Hermione’s stomach. That was all the encouragement Remus needed.

Sirius heard a low growl come from his friend and he couldn’t help but grin in satisfaction before nipping Hermione's neck lightly as Remus nuzzled into her from the other side, wanting nothing more than to pull Sirius' bloody dressing gown off of her.

"Hermione?" Sirius pulled away from her and watched as she stretched her head back, her eyes shut as Remus left kisses around her ear before moving to her neck. "We need an answer kitten."

"I don't know," she breathed, feeling Remus grip her hip possessively. His mouth was on hers again and she couldn't process a single thought until he pulled away.

"That isn't going to cut it kitten, I need a yes or no," Sirius purred, tickling her ear with his breath, Remus going back to assaulting her neck.

"I-" Hermione faltered, uncertainty niggling at her, "I think we should sleep."

"Okay," Sirius responded, smiling lazily at her, "do I get a kiss goodnight?" He grinned and Hermione breathed out a laugh, pulling the man back down to her. She kissed him sleepily, keeping it short and sweet this time. Both Remus and Sirius were pent up now though, neither of them feeling tired as they watched her quickly fall back to sleep.

"Want to sort my problem?" Sirius whispered to Remus, wiggling his eyebrows at him through the darkness.

"Go fuck yourself Padfoot," Remus responded with a roll of his eyes before turning over.

"Gladly."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all of the kudos and kind comments. You lot are bloody wonderful, thank you!


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